The New Professors
by Tobirion
Summary: They're not happy about it, but Leon and Cloud are now the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professors. Darn that Merlin. Leon/Cloud with side Riku/Sora. KH HP crossover.
1. Enter: The New Professors

**Hi everyone. I'm fixing this a little bit...you know, editing and all that jazz. Thanks for reading T.N.P!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything. **

* * *

A series of loud bangs echoed through the Great Maw. Squall Leonhart was sparring with his friend (as much a friend as someone like him could get) Cloud Strife.

The two had been at it for awhile; Leon (that's what everyone called him) felt like his right arm was made of lead, and Cloud's movements were definitely slowing. Leon shook his chocolate brown bangs out of his face, and blocked one of Cloud's attempts to cut him in half. They were oblivious to anything else. But when they heard a loud ringing, they stopped fighting, stuck their swords in the ground, and stared at each other. The noise was urgent, and it should be. It was the help signal from Merlin's house.

They sprung into action, each ripping their sword from the earth and sprinting away. When Merlin's house came into view, Leon noticed the peaceful atmosphere. But the bell was still ringing. So the trouble was inside? Leon kicked the door open, and Dodge Rolled inside. Cloud leaped over Leon's body and bared First Tsurugi for all to see.

…It was strangely silent. Where was the screaming, pandemonium, and flying objects? Leon heard the door slam, and he looked around wildly. In the corner of the kitchen sat Aerith, looking both startled, and like she was going to burst something from trying not to laugh. Cloud gave her his very best glare, as did Leon.

She gulped, and said "You guys are quick…"

Leon folded his arms. Aerith shifted.

Suddenly, the door burst open again. Yuffie bounded through Merlin's living room, a puffing Cid on her heels. Apparently, the two had run straight from the Gummi Ship. They realized that there was not, in fact, a crisis, and they too, glared at Aerith.

Aerith coughed nervously. "Um… thanks for getting here so quickly. I wouldn't have done it! But, you know, you all wouldn't have come if I just told you to come."

Leon agreed with her.

"So, why are we here?" Cloud asked.

Aerith smiled, and handed Leon, Cloud and Yuffie thick yellow envelopes. Leon looked at his. It was heavy—abnormally so, for a letter—and the writing was a deep silver-grey, like his eyes. Cloud's was written in his unnatural blue, and Yuffie's was brownish-black.

He opened it, and his eyes widened. The letter told him he was supposed to teach at a place called… Hogwarts? What?

He looked at Aerith for an explanation. The others did too.

"Merlin knows a lot of people," She began, "And Hogwarts—a wizarding school—is short on staff. So, Leon, Cloud… you two were picked to teach this year."

Leon didn't really think about most of this, he just blurted stupidly "But we're not wizards."

Merlin came in from the direction of the bathroom, a newspaper in his hands. He added his two cents. "You are certainly not wizards. But, you've cast magic. So, I recommended you to my friends at Hogwarts. Yuffie—you have entirely too much time on your hands, dear—you are going to keep Riku and Sora company."

Leon was shocked. It seemed everyone was going to this school!

"I _think_ Kairi may be going as well." Merlin tossed his newspaper onto the counter. He sniffed his hands and made a face. As he washed his hands at the sink, Leon vowed not to eat anything Merlin made, ever.

Cloud sighed and said, "So, what are you going to do if we refuse?"

Aerith grinned. Not a good sign. "Well, Cloud. I'll start with why you can't _afford_ to refuse. You will get stronger, and be more likely to beat Sephiroth. Do you want that?" Cloud's eyes lit up. "And Leon, you'll learn all kinds of spells that will help restore Radiant Garden."

Leon shifted. In a last effort (because he could tell Cloud was hooked) he said, "But that's the point. The restoration. What about it? We can't just stop working on it."

Merlin cut in. "The restoration is way ahead of schedule. We're having everyone from Halloween town take over while you're gone. So no need to worry."

No need to worry? Jack would probably turn the whole town red and green, and have cobwebs strung everywhere.

Cid, Aerith, and Merlin hurried them upstairs. Leon lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. None of his questions were answered… He was going to some wizarding school. To teach, of all things! He was a stubborn man, but he decided to live with it if Radiant Garden was completed in the end. Groaning, he buried his face in his pillow and fell asleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Leon woke up suddenly because of lack of oxygen. He shoved Yuffie off his chest, and fisted the sleep out of his eyes. Then he looked at the clock. It was 5:30… he promptly rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

"Aw, come on, Leon!" Yuffie whined. He didn't answer.

Merlin entered Leon's room and said, "Come on Squall. I'm taking the three of you to get your supplies today."

Leon scowled. Only Merlin got away calling him Squall. With a sigh he kicked them out of his room and got dressed. When he came down the steps, he saw Cloud and Yuffie seated at the table. Merlin was gone. But the newspaper was missing again.

Trying not to think about what Merlin was doing currently, Leon read his letter. It said that he was a teacher; all he needed was a wand… A wand? Even _Donald's _staff could beat the tar out of a magic wand. Oh well. Leon glanced at Cloud—he was trying to pour orange juice out of an empty container over his cornflakes.

Merlin entered the room, feeling considerably lighter. He beckoned for the others to follow him outside.

"How are we going to get… wherever it is we're going?" Cloud buckled his Buster sword onto the leather harness on his back.

Merlin eyed the sword, as well as Leon's gunblade. He sighed, and said "Not Gummi ships—I get sick as a cow in those infernal things—no, we're going to Apparate."

"Apparate?"

"Yes. All of you lay a finger on my arm." Merlin held out his left arm. Leon didn't want to touch Merlin with a stick, let alone his finger, but he did so anyway, poking Merlin in the shoulder. Merlin turned, and Leon felt like he was being squeezed. …And squished by an anvil. It was extremely unpleasant.

The group appeared outside of a little tavern. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron." Merlin strode to the door and flung it open. He stilled, and closed it quickly. Tapping himself with his wand, he transformed himself into a middle-aged man.

"Why'd you do that, Merlin?" Yuffie asked.

Merlin sighed. "I'm very…well known in these parts. It's best if I'm in disguise. For now, call me… Michael."

Cloud snorted. Merlin gave him the evil eye and opened the door again. The Leaky Cauldron was dark, and a toothless old man named Tom greeted them. "Michael" waved him away, and guided them through the room to a trash can outside. The wall it was next to was unremarkable- but Merlin seemed interested. So interested, he was counting the bricks.

"It's not that nice a wall, Merlin." Leon rolled his eyes.

Merlin shushed him, and tapped one of the bricks with his wand. The wall opened from the center to reveal a long street. Leon, Cloud and Yuffie stared at it, amazed. "Diagon Alley," Merlin called over his shoulder. He was already walking away.

They hurried to catch up with him. Leon wished he had another head—this was by far the weirdest place he had ever been. Cloud inspected a coin someone dropped, and asked Merlin about it. Merlin glanced at it and said, "That's a Knut. There's Sickles and Galleons too."

Cloud put it in his pocket for safekeeping. The group continued down the street, and Merlin ushered them inside a store called Ollivander's.

The place was dusty, dark, and creepy. Fitting for a store that sells magic wands. It was abnormally still, and a weird old man slinked over to them. He stared at "Michael" for a full minute before bursting out, "Merlin's beard! It's Merlin!"

Merlin poofed back into his regular appearance. "How did you know?"

Ollivander made a noise in the back of his throat. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, including the ones my great-grandfather sold, Merlin." In a completely different voice he said, "So who's getting wands today?"

He set his sights on Yuffie. "I see…" He pulled a tape measure out of his pocket and eagerly started noting how long Yuffie's arm was, the distance around her head, the length of her nose… Yuffie looked on with mild confusion and amusement.

Ollivander snatched the measure away and disappeared behind his counter. Merlin shook his head, and Yuffie bounced on the balls of her feet. When Ollivander returned, he shoved a wand into Yuffie's hands.

"Try this…9-and-a-half-inches, bendable…"

Yuffie waved it around in the air and set Ollivander's sleeve on fire. He didn't seem to mind. He tried another and _another_ before tapping his chin and handing her a dark wand. "Ten inches, ebony, good for charms…"

Yuffie shot gold ribbon out the tip. She squealed and yelled, "Did you see that, guys?"

Leon nodded, but stopped when Ollivander approached him. Ollivander seemed intrigued by Leon's clothes, so much so that he leant forward like he was going to sniff Griever. Leon leant backwards to the point he thought his back was going to break, and then Ollivander disappeared again.

Leon stared at the others with wide eyes. Cloud snorted. _"What the hell is _wrong_ with that guy?" _He thought.

Ollivander returned and placed a wand in Leon's right hand. "Eleven inches, rather springy, dragon heartstring…"

Leon frowned and gave his arm a miniscule jerk. Ollivander snatched it and said, "No, no, no, you must _wave _your arm. No shaking."

Leon sighed and Yuffie cracked up. Cloud stood still as he leant against the door, but he was trying to hide his grin. Ollivander gave him more and more wands, but nothing seemed to work.

Ollivander stared at the enormous pile of discarded wands before him. He glanced at Griever again, and walked out whispering, "I wonder…" Leon shot an exasperated look at Cloud. The blond smirked, and Merlin looked annoyed. It was obvious that Merlin wanted to get the heck _out_ of Diagon Alley. Yuffie was tossing her wand in the air and catching it. She _hated_ small, quiet spaces like the wand shop.

Ollivander returned, this time with a case in his hand that was black with gold trim. "Here. I think this will suffice…"

Leon grasped it and felt…strong. Humph. Leon waved it a bit, and a shower of red and gold sparks flew around the room like a whirlwind, or a tornado. Ollivander slinked over to Leon and muttered, "Fourteen inches, birch, lion's mane…"

He looked at Cloud, and then at Leon. He seemed to reach a conclusion, because he beckoned for Cloud. After rummaging through a few drawers, he pulled out another black case, but one with silver trim. Cloud took it cautiously, and flicked his wrist. This time, silver sparks came out. He frowned, and moved each limb before looking up at Ollivander. Merlin shrugged, and Ollivander sighed.

They paid seven Galleons each and left the shop. Leon was glad to be out. The air was stuffy in the shop—Ollivander creeped him out, too. Next on their list was Madam Malkin's Robe shop. Leon and Cloud took one look at the Robes they were expected to wear and left. Yuffie tried to leave as well, but Merlin forced her to get a few.

Our brooding heroes were leaning against the wall of Madam Malkin's, arms folded and glares directed at the ground. How had their lives gotten so bad?

"Leon! Cloud!" A voice called.

Said men looked up to see a familiar brunet running towards them, already with robe on and wand in hand.

"Hey Sora." Leon lifted two fingers in a wave.

Sora pulled Riku and Kairi until all three were standing in front of the two men. "So…you guys are going to be our new teachers?"

Leon nodded sadly. Riku looked around and said, "Where's the others? I heard Merlin was going to bring you."

Cloud pointed into the shop, where Yuffie was pretending to bash Madam Malkin's back in when she wasn't looking.

"Oh. So, are you all set?"

Leon shrugged. He really had no idea. He was forced to teach in a _wizarding_ school, dammit! He didn't know _anything_ about magic, other than Firaga and Curaga. He had a feeling that _that_ kind of magic wasn't what the rest were learning.

"Michael" and Yuffie emerged from the shop, one looking extremely pleased, and the other extremely sad.

"Merlin!" Sora cried.

Merlin shushed him. "You _can not_ say my name here! How did you recognize me?"

Sora looked at Merlin, who looked like a middle-aged man. "Oh…I just saw an old guy, and thought 'hey, Merlin!' Sorry!"

Riku pressed his hand against his face and groaned. Sora laughed.

"So…do we need anything else?" Leon asked.

Merlin shook his head. "You two have everything…Yuffie, you still need to visit the Apothecary and Flourish and Blotts." He strode into the nearest store, Yuffie, Riku, Kairi and Sora on his heels. Leon and Cloud looked at each other. Shrugging, Leon followed the group into the bookstore. Cloud sighed and glanced at the group of boys eyeing his sword. They were practically entranced. Cloud glared and pushed the door of the shop open.

The inside of the store was amazing. Towers of books were everywhere, and these weren't normal books. Cloud inspected the nearest one. How to Skin a Mufflegump? He dropped the book like it was on fire. Next to him, Leon had a similar problem. He had found The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One. Cloud heard him mutter, "Wingardium Leviosa?" Leon snorted and stuffed the book back on the shelf.

"Michael" got Yuffie and the others their books, and they left to go to the Apothecary. Leon and Cloud left too, but instead just strolled around in the street. Even that posed a problem. The boys from before gawked at the pair. One, a boy with sandy hair, gazed at Kairi's retreating back, and the others stared at Leon's leather and the enormous sword on Cloud's back.

They ignored the stares and waited impatiently for the rest of their party to emerge from the Apothecary. Leon didn't fancy going inside because A: It smelled like shit in there, and B: The old lady at the register was looking out the window to stare at him and Cloud. He didn't want to get too close to her.

_Finally, _when everyone emerged smelling like eel's eyes or whatever the hell it was, Merlin announced that He, Yuffie, Leon and Cloud were going home.

"How're you getting home Sora?" Yuffie asked.

"Gummi Ship!" Was the reply. The three left to go back to Destiny Islands, and Sora called over his shoulder, "See you soon!" Leon gave a half-hearted wave.

"Alright, let's go, everybody," Merlin called. Cloud's shoulders sagged with relief.

Back through the Leaky Cauldron and into the street, in the shade of a building, Merlin once again turned into mid-air and sent them back to Radiant Garden.

--

The last two weeks were stressful, to say the least. Cloud and Leon forced Merlin to tell them everything—they were tired of being left in the dark. Merlin explained about Voldemort—the worst wizard _ever_, and how a boy named Harry Potter defeated him when he was only a baby. Merlin told them about Hogwarts—the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. He also told them about Albus Dumbledore—Merlin's friend, and the man who requested their help.

After Merlin's speech, Leon and Cloud worried more than before. It still hadn't sunk in that they were _teachers_.

And they were dreading September first, so of course it came ten times faster than it would have normally.

On the dreaded day, Yuffie woke everyone up obscenely early, and didn't stop screaming until everyone was up. Once again, Merlin transported them to England, but this time at a train station. Merlin muttered "Nine and three-quarters" repeatedly, and kept checking everyone's luggage. Leon didn't bring much, just his gunblade, wand, and a suitcase full of clothes. Cloud had the same thing. Yuffie, on the other hand, brought two suitcases, her wand, a few shuriken, and a mess of other stuff. They got a _lot_ of weird looks.

Merlin stopped walking and said "Ah! Here we are!" He pointed at _another _perfectly normal bit of wall. Cloud groaned.

Merlin said, "It's easy. Just lean against it-" His voice faded away, because "Michael" fell through the wall like it wasn't there.

"Cool!" Yuffie ran straight at the wall and passed through it unflinchingly. Apparently she only needed to see something once to put complete faith and trust in it. Yuffie disappeared as well.

Leon placed a hand against it tentatively, and passed through completely. He _almost_ gasped. But that would be very un-Leon like, so he didn't. When Cloud got through the wall, he couldn't stop the small intake of air. Before them was a giant train that proudly displayed the name _The Hogwarts Express_. Merlin ushered them on the train and apologized profusely to Leon and Cloud. Apparently teachers didn't have to go on the train, but Yuffie needed supervising.

With collective sighs, the new teachers boarded the train (after getting a little pouch of wizard money from Merlin) and picked a compartment before anyone could see them. When they were trying to get past the guards in the train station, Merlin had to befuddle the guy who was trying to call the cops. People in England didn't carry giant swords, see. Plus, they didn't really want more kids staring at them.

Yuffie, Cloud and Leon settled onto the seats; two looking out the window and the other trying to look at everything _but _the lovely inside of the station.

More kids entered the train, and Leon kept an eye out for a familiar spiky brown head boarding the train. After a bit, the train lurched and started to move. Almost immediately, Sora, Riku, Kairi and the sandy-haired boy from Diagon Alley opened the sliding door and burst into the compartment.

"Hey guys!" Sora all but yelled. He was already wearing his robes.

"_You _are our new teachers?" The sandy-haired boy's mouth fell open.

Leon nodded once and Cloud copied the movement. Sora introduced the boy. "This is Seamus. He's in Gryffindor!"

Leon didn't want to teach kids like Seamus. It hadn't _quite_ set in, but now it did. He and Cloud were going to _teach_. He didn't know anything except tactics and cooking…

Cloud spoke suddenly. "Don't tell anyone we're in this…room, thing. Okay, Seamus? _Yuffie?"_

Yuffie pouted, and the two agreed.

"Alright, well. We're going to find our own compartment so, bye!" Sora waved and led them all away, Yuffie joining them.

Most of the ride was spent in silence, with the occasional brief conversation. They didn't really like to talk, but they both found it easier to talk to each other than with most people.

Leon was watching the countryside roll by when an elderly woman opened the door. "Would you like to buy anything from the cart, de—oh!" She noticed that Cloud and Leon were not, in fact, students. Her eyes traveled over their clothes, Cloud's hair, the Griever necklace on Leon's chest, and the two enormous swords leaning against the wall. "A-are you the new teachers Dumbledore told me about?" She spluttered.

Leon nodded, and promptly bought a Chocolate frog because he doubted that anyone could actually turn a frog into chocolate. Cloud bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

The witch bowed, and left. Leon opened the frog, and despite it's wiggling, bit a leg off.

"…That's gross." Cloud stared at the brunet.

Leon shrugged and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. Cloud read the back of the Every Flavor Bean box and said, "Hey Leon. These jelly beans really are _every_ flavor." He fished out two, and tossed one to Leon. "Alright, on the count of three. One…two…three."

Cloud popped in a fiery red, and Leon chewed a tan. There was silence. At the same time, they spit onto the carpet. Leon actually fell off his seat. Cloud's fingers scrabbled at his throat. "C-Cinnamon…like _fire…_"

Leon exclaimed "What the _fuck? _That was _earwax!_" He spit onto the carpet again. Cloud smirked through his tears.

"And how do you know what earwax tastes like, Leon?"

Leon aimed his spit closer to Cloud's feet.

--

With just a few minutes left, Cloud picked up his Buster Sword, and Leon, his gunblade. They had _no_ intention to be stuck with a bunch of teenagers. No, instead they made their way to the conductor, and the frontmost exit. As the train screeched to a stop, Cloud flung the door open and quickly entered the darkness of the night. Leon followed, and they hurried away from the train.

In front of them were large, reptilian horses tethered to carriages.

"What the fuck is _that?_" Cloud stared at one.

"…No idea."

"Firs' years this way, firs' years this way!"

They turned to see a giant of a man standing next to a bunch of boats. They approached him. The man eyed them and said "I don't think I've seen you two 'round here… who are yeh?"

The new teachers shot each other a look. "I'm Leon, this is Cloud…we're the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers."

"Um, the new teachers? Oh, okay! Don't know how to get ter the school?"

They nodded.

"Alright, take Norbert here." He pointed at a dark shape. "Norbert's named after my old pet dragon. O'course, Norbert the dragon is actually a girl…" He trailed off sadly. "Uh, I'm Hagrid, Groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor."

Hagrid brought the dark shape forward to reveal the most pathetic looking snake-horse yet. Its ribs were showing much more so than the others, and it looked very, very mean.

"Oh! Can you see 'im?"

Silence.

"Oh, you can! Isn't he a beauty? He's still recoverin' from over the summer…he's a thestral."

Leon sat in the carriage, wincing and hoping to everything that it wouldn't fall apart with him on it. Cloud got in too, after a minute of laughing at the terrified Leon. But Leon was laughing now; Cloud held the fabric over his knees in a grip of steel.

Norbert slowly started on the path to the school, leaving Hagrid to shout "Firs' years this way! Firs' years!" By himself.

Eventually, the other thestrals passed Norbert, and Leon and Cloud were left in dead last at the pace of a snail.

Leon slammed his head against the fragile wood of the carriage and muttered, "I'm going to _kill_ Norbert soon."

Cloud said, "We're going to be late. It would be faster if we walked."

They hopped out of the carriage and very quickly lost sight of Norbert. Cloud was right—it was _much_ faster on foot. But they still couldn't see the other carriages. Yep, they were going to be late.

_Finally,_ at long last, a giant castle came into view. "Is that really a school?" Cloud's eyes were wide.

With not a little amount of dread, they walked towards Hogwarts.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Psst, Harry!"

Harry Potter turned to look at his best friend Ron. "What?"

Ron pointed at the table at the front of the Great Hall. "Where's the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor?"

Harry studied the table. There were all the usual teachers present—but Ron was right. No Defense against the Dark Arts Professor. He had heard the rumors—that the new professor was in fact two professors—so that explained the two chairs next to Hagrid.

Harry's other friend, Hermione, shushed them. "It's the sorting, you have to be quiet!"

The new first years were being sorted into their houses—Gryffindor had already gotten seven kids.

Professor McGonagall rolled up the list of the first years' names, and made an announcement. "This year, we have a few older students joining us. Hikari, Sora!"

A boy with extremely spiky brown hair walked forward, grinning like a maniac. He jammed the Sorting hat on his head, and without a moment's hesitation it screamed "Gryffindor!"

Harry clapped with the others.

"What's up with a new kid our age?" Ron whispered.

"I dunno, but look! He's sitting near us…"

Sora bounced to their part of the table and sat on the other side of Harry. Sora beamed and said, "I'm Sora! Who're you?"

Harry blinked. This kid was so forward… "Harry Potter."

Ron introduced himself too, as did Hermione. Professor McGonagall waited for the talking to subside and she yelled, "Kisaragi, Yuffie!"

A girl with black hair skipped—yes, skipped—to the hat, and got Gryffindor at once. Once again, Harry introduced himself. Yuffie was a ball of energy—kind of like Colin Creevey. The Weasley twins already had her deep in conversation.

"Kobayashi, Riku!"

This time, a boy with long silvery hair strode to the hat. Sora stood on the bench and screamed, "Riku, Riku, _Riku, Riku, _RIKU, RIKU!!"

A few kids stared. Harry and Ron laughed. Riku waved at Sora and Yuffie, and placed the hat on his head. This time, the hat made a strangled noise. It looked…in pain.

"What's up with the hat?" Ron asked.

Hermione studied it and said, "Well, I'm pretty sure that the hat can see what's in our minds…"

"Maybe Riku wants to kill us all!" Ron blurted. Sora stared at the redhead, and turned to Hermione. "What about Hearts?"

"Um…what? Read our Hearts?"

"Never mind…ooh! Gryffindor!"

Riku took off the hat and strolled down the carpet with a smirk.

"Shimizu, Kairi!"

A girl with red hair (but not Ron's kind of red) placed the hat on her head. After a minute's decision, the hat declared her to be a Gryffindor. Sora, Riku and Yuffie cheered the loudest of them all.

-At the teachers' table-

"All of them are in Gryffindor?" Professor McGonagall asked, after taking her place next to Dumbledore.

His eyes glowed. "Yes, those four are…special children. They've accomplished as much as, maybe more than Harry."

Professor McGonagall looked surprised. "Albus, where's the Defense against the Dark Arts professor? You haven't told anyone anything about them yet..."

Dumbledore's smile got wider. "You wait, Minerva. You'll see." He rose to his feet, about to make a speech. The noise died down.

"Yay! Almost food time!" Ron pumped a fist in the air.

"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, everyone! Before we start our feast, I have a few announcements. First, the forbidden forest is, of course, forbidden. Second-"

The doors of the Great Hall opened.

Two men entered the room, and there was complete silence.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Ready, Cloud?"

"…"

Leon pushed the doors open, and prepared to face the beginning of a probably unpleasant year.

The first thing he noticed was how the voices stopped. Hundreds of heads turned and homed in them. So many kids…

He saw the other teachers sitting at a long table in the front of the room. That meant they'd have to walk past all the teenagers…

Leon and Cloud walked side by side, trying to ignore the sheer amount of eyes glued to them. And indeed, everyone was staring. What shocked them so was firstly, the fact that neither man was wearing robes, just their clothes. They also stared _because _of their clothes. The tall brunet man was wearing tight leather pants that clung in all the right places, a white t-shirt, and a short-sleeved leather jacket with fur along the collar. The spiky blond haired man wore just as much black. He had big black boots that echoed on the floor, and an odd piece of clothing that draped over his left leg. His left arm had a sleeve, and the other did not. On his shoulder was a big metal thing that looked like a _doorknocker_ that looked like a wolf.

But what got the students the most was the swords. The one decked out in leather had a giant silver sword with a gun handle. The blond…he carried an enormous…_thing_ on his back. It was covered in bandages…holy crap.

So, drowned in stares, the two men walked through the Great Hall. When they passed the Gryffindor table, one of the new kids jumped up and screamed, "Leon! Cloud!"

So that was their names. But which was Leon, and which was Cloud?

Someone sneezed, and the spell broke. Squealing and screaming echoed through the room, and all the girls yelled, "Oh my god! Oh my _god!" _

Professor Sprout pulled Professor McGonagall towards her, and said, "Are they the new teachers?"

McGonagall was dazed. "I-I hope so."

Dumbledore greeted them warmly. He made everyone quiet down, and resumed his speech. "As I was saying," He bellowed. "Second, welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor_s_, Professor Leonhart and Professor Strife!"

"Leon Leonhart? Isn't that a bit redundant?" Ron said the table in general.

Yuffie tapped Ron on the shoulder and explained. "His real name's Squall, but he doesn't like that name for some reason."

Sora stood on the bench again and whooped. Riku and Kairi pulled him back down, looking annoyed.

Leon and Cloud sat at the table, but not before removing their swords off of their backs. The leaned them against the stone wall, and still kids stared.

"How does Professor Strife _lift_ that?" Ron whined. He wanted to be cool and have a sword, too.

Hermione stared at the Buster sword in Cloud's hand. He acted like it wasn't there…

"Hermione! Stop drooling!" Ron scolded.

"I-I wasn't!" Everyone laughed.

Dumbledore stood again. "And now…let the feast begin!" He sat down, and the plates filled with food.

"Yay! Food!" Ron ripped into a chicken leg.

"Disgusting…" Hermione sighed, and looked at Sora. He had _two_ chicken legs in his mouth. He giggled, and Hermione groaned.

-At the Teachers' table-

When food magically appeared on the table, Leon blinked and looked at Cloud, who was just as surprised. Hagrid laughed loudly and pulled out a giant flask of…something. Cloud made a face. (Several girls at the Hufflepuff table swooned).

Leon picked up a fork, and began eating some potatoes. They were delicious, almost like the ones he and Aerith could make.

"So…Leonhart."

Leon turned to see Professor Flitwick beaming up at him. "I'm Professor Flitwick, nice to meet you!" He held out a small hand, and Leon shook it.

"How do you like our Hogwarts?"

Leon thought. "…I didn't expect a school to be a castle."

Everyone who heard the statement thought the same thing: He had the voice of an angel! (Well, except for Cloud. He didn't find anything remarkable about Leon's voice).

Leon returned to his food, and he and Cloud ate in silence. Suddenly, they both felt a pricking on their necks. They looked up simultaneously. Leering at them from the other side of the table was a greasy-haired man. Leon narrowed his eyes, and Cloud gave him his best glare. The man smirked, and started eating again.

Cloud elbowed Hagrid. "Who's that?" He pointed at the man's back.

Professor McGonagall (as well as lots of others) blinked. Leonhart had a great voice—Strife did too! She was glad that they were the new D.A.T.D.A professors.

"Oh, him? That's Professor Snape. Potions master. He's after your job, you know. Always has been."

"Hmm." Cloud returned to his food, and with a final glare at Snape, Leon did too.

-At the Gryffindor table-

Ron belched loudly and threw down his fork. "Ugh…so full…"

Harry stopped eating—he wanted to save room for dessert. Riku and Kairi were staring at Sora, who was even more of a black hole than Ron. Sora dropped his food and stared at Nearly Headless Nick, who floated through the wall to sit at the table.

"Ah! New students! Let me introduce myself, I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington."

"A-are you a heartless?" Sora cried. Riku slapped himself in the face.

"A…what, lad?"

"A heartless!"

"…No?"

"Oh…" Sora gave a sigh of relief. "Well, you see, in the Underworld of he Olympus coliseum, there's these trick ghosts…Magnega doesn't work on them…"

Everyone stared at Sora.

"Heh, Heh, well…never mind."

"…Hey, let me see your schedules, everybody!" Ron held out his arms. "Okay, hmm…we all have Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow! At the same time!"

After dessert faded from the plates, Dumbledore dismissed everyone. That left Leon and Cloud wondering where the heck they were supposed to go. They sat together in worry, and Dumbledore asked, "Do you not know where your chambers are?"

Leon nodded, and looked away from the man's piercing blue eyes.

"Ah. Let me think…Oh, you are in the North Tower, near Professor Trelawney's room. I thank you for accepting the teaching job; we almost had to hire someone from the Ministry instead. I had a nasty feeling it would be Dolores Umbridge…" With that, Dumbledore left.

With heavy eyes, Leon picked up his gunblade, but didn't feel like clipping it in. Cloud did buckle it in though, and the two walked out of the Great Hall.

"Hey Leon."

Leon turned to face Cloud.

"Where's the North tower?"

He had no idea. Leon thought about who to ask, when a cold voice said, "Wanted to make a nice big entrance, did you?"

It was Snape.

"Do you know," He drawled, "who I hate? People like you and Potter, show offs and-"

But Leon and Cloud were already walking away as they flipped him off.

Snape spluttered and yelled, "T-this isn't over!" He hurried down the hallway.

"What a hag."

"Yep."

* * *

**Please review guys! I love you all. :P **

**Next time: Classes start, Draco gets scared, The Buster Sword gets lifted and Cloud falls through a step.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for coming to read chapter 2! I'm glad so many of you like T.N.P. **

* * *

So…" Cloud looked around wildly. "Where's the North tower?"

Leon shrugged. They were lucky all the kids were asleep; he wasn't one to be happy that people knew he was lost. He was _never _lost. Well, almost never. Right now was the exception. You couldn't blame him though—Hogwarts had more hallways than Yuffie could count, (no offense to her, of course) moving staircases, and doors that led to nowhere! Honestly, what was the point of wasting valuable man-power on something so stupid? If he had that kind of spare time, Radiant Garden would be so big; it would be practically up everyone's nostrils.

They started up the nearest staircase. They at least figured out that their room was _up, _because it was a _tower_…

"Oof!" Cloud's foot sank through one of the steps and he fell.

Leon chuckled and said, "So some steps aren't real steps? What a school…" He wrapped his arms under Cloud's armpits and pulled. He came out easily, but Cloud's pride was severely damaged.

"Thanks…"

"No problem. Just watch out for trick steps, Cloud."

Cloud glared, and they once again made their way toward the North Tower. Or where they thought the North Tower was. In one of the hallways, they gave up. They were getting more confused by the second. It hurt them both deeply to admit it, but they needed to ask someone for directions. They stood in the hallway, thinking.

"Holy shit!" Cloud jumped a foot in the air and pointed at the wall. Or, the paintings on the wall. They were moving.

The nearest one, a woman with her hair in a bun, blinked at them and giggled.

"Er…can you tell us where the North Tower is?" Cloud bent down so his face was level with the woman's. Only Leon was know that he talked to a painting. No one else could know, ever.

The woman sighed dreamily and said "Um…No, I don't. I just visit the Fat Lady."

The Fat Lady? What?

They moved on, the woman ran off to tell her friend the new bit of gossip. This time, they were stopped by a shout of "Stay and fight, you mangy dogs!"

Leon stared at a painting of a grassy field. A little knight on a fat pony shouted angrily and held a fist in the air. Cloud raised an eyebrow at the same time Leon did. This guy was nuts. He just fell off his pony…

"Um, can you tell us where the North tower is?" Leon tried not to laugh at the little knight.

"Ah! You are on a quest, yes? I am Sir Cadogan. Come! Onward!" He ran out of the painting, to reappear in the next one.

They followed him, glad that someone (even if he was bonkers) knew the way. They went across the school, through hallways, up more stairs, and finally they were there. One side of the hallway led to the Divination waiting room that had a ladder, and a less noticeable painting opened to reveal a ladder to their room. No one was in the frame; they supposed that their room wasn't often used.

Leon climbed the ladder first, and poked his head into a medium-sized room with two beds, a fireplace, a couch, and two desks. He helped Cloud up, and they spotted their luggage already sitting on their beds. Leon placed his gunblade next to his bed's headboard, and froze.

"Uh…Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

Leon stared at his bed. It was what, _two-thirds_ the size of a regular bed? There was no way he was going to fit. Cloud noticed too. With a sigh they pushed their beds together. It at least made them _seem _larger. Leon brushed his teeth in their bathroom, (Teachers were lucky like that) and changed into low-slung pajama pants and a black t-shirt. The white ones were reserved for daytime.

Cloud slept in a t-shirt and boxers, and without a word to each other, they laid down (There was only a few inches between their bodies) and fell asleep.

--

"Ow…" Leon opened his eyes. Cloud's elbow was digging into his gut. He pushed Cloud to the other side of the bed and looked at the clock. It was 7:30… Leon didn't know what time he and Cloud had to be ready, but it was better to be early then late. He didn't really want a repeat of yesterday.

Leon jumped in the shower (He _hated_ taking showers in the morning) and dried his hair really well. Wet hair made him feel gross and sickly. As he left the bathroom with a towel wrapped securely around his waist, Cloud went in.

A short time later, both men descended the ladder and casually walked down the maze of the school to the Great Hall.

They were hoping to be early—to avoid the stares of yesterday—but it was not to be. The girls had the same idea. Several Slytherin girls were barricading the door; blinking sleep out of their eyes as they barked commands to each other. They had a system going: All points of access to the Great Hall were manned—er, womaned—by Slytherins.

"How early did they get up?" Leon whispered.

Cloud sighed and shrugged. Yep, this teaching job was _definitely_ going to be unpleasant.

They walked up to the girls. Several heads turned their way, analyzing and calculating. (But mostly staring dreamily.) Leon took the lead, and they plowed straight ahead. One of the girls had to duck—the hilt of the Buster Sword protruded to the side.

"…We have a welcoming committee." Cloud muttered.

The Great Hall was considerably fuller than it usually would have been. Everyone wanted to get a look at the new professors. There already were rumors—they were murderers who were sent to kill everyone in the school, they were Death Eaters, the list went on.

They stopped at the Gryffindor table, to give a greeting of sorts to Sora, Riku, Kairi and Yuffie.

"Hey everyone."

"Hi Leon! Hi Cloud!" Sora bounced in his seat, a waffle hanging out of his mouth. "Oops, I-uh, I mean Hi, Professor Leonhart! Hi Professor Strife!" Sora giggled.

Kids at the Hufflepuff table who heard this were infuriated. How dare the new kid be so familiar with Professors Strife and Leonhart!?

Cloud stole a piece of bacon off Sora's plate and stuck it in his mouth before Sora could do anything.

"Hey!" Sora whined. "That's mine!"

Cloud shrugged, and he and Leon sat at the teachers' table. Leon smiled faintly. Hagrid greeted them, and gave them a bit of advice.

"Jus' so yeh know, don't _ever_ drink nothin' that the students give yeh."

"Why?" Cloud's eyes widened.

" 'cause it might be a love potion." Hagrid's voice was grave. "They're good at that sort of thing."

"…Oh…" Cloud poured syrup over his pancakes, grinning a little.

Halfway through breakfast, Leon remembered that he had the card that came with his Chocolate Frog in his pocket. He pulled it out, and stared at the moving picture of Dumbledore. He flipped it over, and he burst out laughing.

"What?" Cloud sounded alarmed.

Leon pointed at the back of the Chocolate Frog card, and Cloud snorted.

"Order of Merlin? It _can't_ be the same grouchy old man we know."

Leon nodded. "Yeah…Merlin _did_ say he was well known around here. Wonder why he never told us he has his own Order."

Hagrid blurted, "Wait! You guys know Merlin?"

Cloud blinked. "We _live_ with Merlin."

Hagrid fell back onto his chair. "Yeh know Merlin…" He muttered. "Yeh know Merlin…"

After breakfast, Leon and Cloud examined their classroom. It was dark, damp, and the office in the back had crumbling walls. Peachy.

They didn't have a class first period, so they tried to figure out exactly what the heck they were going to _do_ during class.

--

Harry's first class was Potions. Even in the dungeons, all anybody could talk about was the new Professors. As it turned out, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Yuffie were in all his classes. They were waiting outside of Snape's room with the Slytherins.

"Ah, Potter! I'm sure you've seen Professor Leonhart and Professor Strife?" Malfoy sauntered over to them, looking smug.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Yeah."

"Well, you should know that my father knows them personally. They've been around for dinner before-"

"No they haven't!" Sora yelled angrily.

Malfoy stared at him. "Oh. Sora, was it? How would you know?"

Sora glared. "I would know because Leon works too hard in Radiant Garden to come to _dinner_, and Cloud's been under contract for Hades! He's hunting for Sephiroth! So no, your father _doesn't_ know them, and stop lying!" Sora's eyes were challenging.

No one said anything. His story sounded so far-fetched, impossible, even. However…Sora didn't seem the type to lie. Every word he spoke was with confidence.

Malfoy gave Sora an evil look. He reached inside his robes for his wand, but in that instant, Riku slung an arm around Malfoy's shoulders.

"Touch anyone, _any_ of my friends, and I'll kill you."

No one doubted what Riku said.

Snape threw the door open; a positively murderous look on his face. He sensed the tension, and leered. "Fighting, Mr. Kobayashi? Detention for you and Potter. Hikari too."

Harry stuttered angrily. What was _wrong_ with Snape?

"But Professor Snape, sir, Harry didn't do anything." Sora gave Snape one of his disarmingly bright smiles.

Snape paused and said, "…I remain convinced that Potter was involved in some way. He always is." He turned on his heel and walked into the classroom.

"Shoot. Sorry, Harry." Sora said apologetically.

"Don't be. I'm used to it." Harry shrugged, and they followed the laughing Slytherins into the dungeon.

Snape was in an unusually bad mood. Worse than his usual bad mood. He made them start an impossible-looking potion before slamming the door to his office and banging something. Everyone heard the crash of breaking glass and winced.

"What's eating Snape?" Ron asked.

Hermione gave him a look. "Can't you tell? He's mad because of Professor Strife and Professor Leonhart. They have his dream job, plus he's…Snape, and they're strong, good-looking, mysterious…"

"Stop it, Hermione!" Ron raised his voice.

A bunch of giggling brought their attention to Sora. He was in his first day of Potions ever, and his potion was almost as far along as Hermione's. Sora's was bright orange, and Hermione's was dark orange. He grinned wildly as he stirred. Riku stared at his own (brown) and scowled.

Malfoy turned puce at the sight of Sora. New kid…better at Potions… Malfoy picked up his diced newt and threw it at Sora.

Without thinking, Sora reached out and caught it. "Thank you Draco!" Sora chirped, and tossed it into his cauldron. It turned the same color as Hermione's. Malfoy's knuckles turned white, and Riku glared at Malfoy with an almost tangible hatred.

Snape burst out of his office and started his routine inspection of everyone's cauldrons. He sneered at Neville's attempt, and stuttered like a fish when he saw the deep green liquid bubbling merrily in Sora's cauldron.

"Do you like it, Professor Snape?" Sora asked with big puppy-dog eyes. "Can you please give half of my credit to Neville? It was kind of my fault that he didn't have enough time."

Neville started to say something, but Sora repeated "Please?" rather loudly.

Snape nodded and turned to Neville. "You're lucky Longbottom. Hikari looks out for you. …It won't happen again."

And so he continued looking. He must've hated Riku almost as much as he hated Harry, because he tried to knock over Riku's cauldron as he walked by. Riku caught Snape's wrist before he could.

Harry stared at his potion. He could tell he did better than Riku, at any rate. Snape took a look and snorted. He had a nasty feeling he didn't get any credit. Snape let them go, but not before reminding Sora, Harry and Riku that they had detention. …Like they would forget.

In the hallway, the Gryffindors were brimming with excitement. Finally, they would be the first ones to have Defense Against the Dark Arts! …Unfortunately, the Slytherins had to be with them.

In the hallway Malfoy was announcing to the class, "_I_ think the new Professors are _washouts._ They look like hicks, for crying out loud! I-"

Yuffie held a shuriken to Malfoy's throat. She smiled and said "Leon and Cloud are _not_"—her face turned scary—"washouts. They've done more than a thousand of you." She released him and threw the shuriken. It skimmed over Malfoy's head to embed itself in the wall.

"Yuffie…"

Everyone turned to see Leon standing in the doorway. This was the first time anyone (with the exception of a few Gryffindors) had seen him up close. Lavender Brown's eyes were popping out of her skull. Leon didn't seem to notice.

Yuffie grinned and said, "But Leon…"

"He's not as strong as you are. You can't go attacking people." He put his arms behind his head in a way that resembled Sora's "casual pose" and strolled back inside the classroom.

The students' mouths fell open. If anyone else had witnessed a student threatening another with…that pointy ninja-star thing Yuffie had…they would have been expelled. So cool! There was a mad dash for the seats in the front row. Hermione, Parvati, Pansy Parkinson and lavender got them, with a lot of pushing and shoving.

When everyone was seated, Cloud emerged from the office in the back with a cup of juice in his hand.

Leon stared at everyone nervously. "Well…I'm Leon, that's Cloud, but call us Professors Leonhart and Strife. For today, tell us your names and we'll answer any questions." He pointed at Lavender (who was first on the right) and said, "You first."

Lavender's face turned red as a tomato. "Um, I'm Lavender Brown…"

Leon nodded, and made everyone tell him his or her name. Cloud finished his juice and tossed it into the trashcan. "Any questions?" Cloud asked.

Everyone's hand shot in the air. Cloud seemed surprised. He chose someone at random, which turned out to be Ron.

"Uh, how heavy are your swords?"

Cloud smiled. (Half the class died.) He picked up his Buster sword in one hand, and Leon's gunblade in the other. He slashed lazily with both a few times, and frowned. "I don't know. I got it a long time ago." Leon shrugged at Cloud's questioning glance.

"Anyone want to try lifting it?"

Almost everyone raised his or her hand. Cloud picked Malfoy, Goyle, Ron, Pansy and Harry to try.

"Wait! What's your sword called?" Seamus yelled. Seamus was obsessing over their swords ever since seeing them for the first time in Diagon Alley.

"First Tsurugi. It's a Buster Sword."

"And this is a Gunblade." Leon let Hermione touch it.

Cloud handed the hilt to Goyle. Goyle made a pained grunt and swayed dangerously. Cloud snatched it back and looked surprised. "You're pretty strong."

Goyle looked pleased.

Ron lifted the hilt off the floor a few feet, and dropped it. Cloud caught it a few inches off the floor and glared at Ron. Ron rubbed his neck and said, "heh heh…sorry," and scooted back to his seat.

Pansy decided she didn't want to do it anymore, and Malfoy was no better. He complained and made excuses as to why he could only get it a few inches off the ground.

Harry got it to waist height before placing it back on the ground neatly. Wow, that was heavy. Everyone had lots more respect for them now.

"Uh…any more questions?" Cloud pointed at Hermione.

"What's your favorite spell?"

Cloud looked at Leon, who shrugged. "We don't use your kind of magic."

Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry, but _our_ kind of magic? What do you mean?"

"Our magic is different. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Magnet, Reflect, Cure, Stop, and Gravity. There's Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga…" He trailed off, hoping that someone understood.

Everyone looked confused, but Hermione burst out, "Oh! _That_ kind of magic? I've read about it, of course, and you're supposed to be really rare. Do you know anyone else who can use it?"

Leon said "Hey Sora. What magic do you use most often?"

Sora scratched his head. "Uh…Magnega, Thundaga…Curaga…" He grinned sheepishly.

"Riku?"

"Hmm…Curaga."

Kairi added, "I use Blizzard."

Yuffie pumped a fist. "Only Firaga for me! I prefer Elixirs over Cure, personally."

The class was even _more _confused. Hermione looked so happy, she could faint.

"Any more questions?"

"How'd you get that scar?" A Slytherin shouted. The people who hadn't noticed yet stared at the scar running from Leon's forehead to his left cheek.

Leon rubbed it absently. "I got it from a man named Seifer. He had one going in the opposite direction."

"Why don't you wear robes?"

Leon and Cloud looked at one another, and then down at their clothes.

"Why do _you_ wear robes? They restrict movement, and I like my normal clothes better anyway." Leon said it like it was obvious. Cloud nodded sagely.

"So tomorrow…come with clothes underneath your robes that you can move around in." Leon dismissed the class, and collapsed in the chair at their desk.

Cloud stared at the ceiling for a minute and muttered, "Talking takes a lot out of you."

"Yeah."

Both men missed it when one of the girls stuck Cloud's juice cup in her bag and ran out, giggling madly.

--

That afternoon, during everyone's break time before dinner, whispers about Defense Against the Dark Arts filled the corridors.

"Did you get to pick up Professor Strife's sword?"

"No, but I got to pick up Professor Leonhart's!"

"—Yeah, his scar—"

"And then Malfoy _whined_—"

Hogwarts was getting Strife and Leonhart fever.

--

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Yuffie were lounging in the shade of a tree in the courtyard. It was amazing how much homework they were given on the first day of school. Plus, Harry, Riku and Sora still had detention.

"Hey, Hermione." Ron grunted.

"Hmm?"

"How is a beozar used to save lives?"

"Ron!" Harry scolded. "I saved your _life _with one."

Ron grinned. "Oh yeah. Right." He started to write on a piece of parchment hurriedly.

Sora rolled over and poked Harry's leg. "When's detention?"

"Oh…after dinner. We go to Snape's room."

Sora didn't seem too sad or depressed. (Most kids were once they knew that they had detention with _Snape,_ of all people.) "I wonder what he'll make us do…"

"Hopefully nothing too bad. Snape can get really nasty." Ron scribbled out a mistake. "Once, he made me polish all trophies in the trophy room. _Without_ magic."

Kairi giggled. "That sounds…awful."

"Hey! It was! There's a lot of trophies, you know!"

"Sure…" Everyone laughed as Ron spluttered angrily.

"What's so funny?" A voice yelled. They turned to see Malfoy striding towards them, looking livid.

"Hi Draco!" Sora called happily. Malfoy's eyes turned darker.

"Y-you…I hate you all!" Malfoy commanded Crabbe and Goyle to seize Ron's book. Quick as a flash (of what? I don't know. Lighting, maybe?) Riku, Sora, Yuffie and Harry jumped up. Riku and Sora grabbed thick, fat arms, and Harry pointed the tip of his wand in Goyle's face. Yuffie had two shuriken pressed against Crabbe's jugular.

Ron paled quickly and breathed, "…Oh shit…"

Cloud and Leon were walking towards them, looking annoyed. Crabbe and Goyle were released quickly. Crabbe fell forward onto his face.

The new professors folded their arms and stared at the group.

Sora laughed lightly. "Well…you see…"

Leon looked disappointed. "Sora. Riku. Yuffie. Harry. You are _all_ too strong to bother with someone like…Crabbe, was it? Yeah. If you want to fight that badly, come with us to talk to Dumbledore later. We're going to ask if we can…train…later." (Crabbe, Malfoy and Goyle ran away at this point.)

"Cool!" Sora shouted. "Definitely! I haven't killed any heartless for awhile. By the way, where _are_ the heartless?"

Cloud had a theory. "I think that because of all the magic around here, the heartless can't get in. They're probably in the forest, though."

"And Nobodies?"

"Same thing."

"Ahh…darn it! I'm getting rusty!" Sora pouted.

Leon waved goodbye and said over his shoulder, "If you're rusty already, make sure you ask Dumbledore with us."

"Okay!" Sora called. Yuffie threw a rock at Cloud's back. Cloud ducked, and the rock sailed over him to hit the ground with a thunk. They continued walking like nothing happened.

"Smooth…" Ron whistled.

"Sorry, but…you're getting rusty?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I haven't killed any heartless for awhile."

"What's a heartless?" Harry, Ron and Hermione leaned in. Sora had mentioned heartless at dinner last night…

"Hmm…a heartless is when…a person loses their heart. They lose their emotions, feelings…and when a heartless is created, so is a nobody. They're like, the empty shell left behind. A heartless is basically the darkness in people's hearts in living form." Sora used bigger words than Riku and Kairi thought possible from him.

"Lose our heart? Our emotions aren't in our hearts, they just pump blood." Hermione was skeptical.

Sora sighed. "Never mind…"

--

If it were up to Leon and Cloud, they would not have had dinner. They would get Magical Take-out. The whole school was buzzing with talk about the two of them. Leon found it annoying. In addition, the worst part was that they hadn't met all of the other Professors yet. People were coming in to talk to them all day.

It was the first full day of being at Hogwarts, but Leon hoped that by now some of the interest would have subsided. But no. This time, a crowd of boys and girls were being ushered away by an irritable-looking man and a cat.

They got closer, and the man looked at them. He smirked, and his nasty yellow teeth showed. "I expected something more. Naw, the new teachers are nothing but pretty boys." He cackled horribly.

The kids who heard Filch's statement paled. How would they take this?

Cloud let his hand slowly drift upwards to the hilt of First Tsurugi. Filch made a strangled noise and said quickly, "Pretty boys? I was talking to…the, uh, kids behind you! Yeah, that's right!"

Leon shook his head and pulled Cloud into the Great Hall because Cloud showed signs of wanting to fight.

"Not worth it." Leon let go of Cloud's hand.

"…"

On their way past the Gryffindor table, Leon tapped Riku on the shoulder. Riku, Sora, Kairi and Yuffie walked with them to Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, sir? Can we have permission to spar outside?" Cloud spoke carefully.

Dumbledore surveyed them with his piercing blue eyes and smiled. "As long as Madam Pomfrey is aware of it, sure."

Sora bowed low and thanked Dumbledore repeatedly. Harry grinned, and Leon and Cloud muttered a "Thanks."

Leon sent the rest back to their table. Grinning happily, Cloud sat down, to find a few seventh year girls holding out a box of…something.

"Uh, Professor Strife, Professor Leonhart! I got you these…they're from the Three Broomsticks!" They smiled.

"…Thanks." Cloud held out his hands, and one girl placed the box in them carefully. She waved, and joined her friends at the Ravenclaw table.

Cloud set it on the table and stared at it. "Leon…do you think this is…spiked?"

"Spiked?"

"Yeah. With…_love_ _potion_."

Leon laughed. Hearing the words "love potion" coming out of Cloud Strife's mouth was something he never thought he'd hear.

"It's not funny." Cloud glared at Leon. The brunet stopped laughing, but his eyes danced. Cloud sighed and started on his pot pie.

--

"You got _detention_ on your first day? From who?"

Sora and Riku shrank under Leon's angry gaze. "Um…Snape." Sora squeaked.

Leon rolled his eyes. Cloud stood next to Leon and frowned. "Be more careful. I don't like Snape." Cloud warned.

"Me neither." Leon gave them "the look."

"Harry! Over here, Harry!" Sora waved down the hallway. Harry ran over to them.

"You got detention too?" Leon's voice was careful and controlled, but it shill had a trace of disappointment.

"But Leon! Harry didn't do anything! Honestly, Snape just gave him detention. Me and Riku were the ones who deserved it!"

"Oh yeah? So you and Riku _deserved_ detention?" Cloud teased.

"I—that's—no! But…we-"

"Just kidding, Sora." Cloud was in an exceptionally good mood, which was odd because he was mad at Leon just a little bit ago.

Harry, Riku and Sora departed for the dungeons. Leon and Cloud were going to take a stroll around the outside of Hogwarts, but they couldn't. An _army_ of girls were peering at them from behind corners, from inside suits of armor and from underneath tables. Perhaps it had something to do with the box in Cloud's arms.

"Cloud…they're all staring…"

"I know. What should we do?"

Leon opened the box. Little square-inch cubes of different colored liquids were laid out in a pattern. It looked relatively harmless.

"You first." Leon said with complete seriousness. Cloud looked at Leon with the most surprised, incredulous look, Leon couldn't help but laugh.

Cloud scowled, and without warning shoved some red liquid down Leon's throat. Leon gagged and spit onto the floor. "Cloud!" He yelled, "That was _spiked!_ You know that!" Leon waved his arms madly and tried to punch Cloud in the face. Cloud ducked, and snorted.

Leon stopped moving, and his eyes grew large. "Cloud? Where's—hic—Alex? I don't see her. Do you? Cloud?" Leon looked around wildly, and distantly one of the girls peeking at them from the second floor let out a whoop of delight.

Cloud stared at his friend with his mouth open. Then he laughed so hard it hurt. Really. He pointed at Leon and tried to get air into his lungs. Was it his fault that Leon was acting like a love-struck fool? Oh…it was. Never mind then. His laughter subsided a bit, but not by much.

Leon stopped standing on tiptoe (trying to find his beloved Alex) and stared at Cloud, who was lying on the ground, dazed. Cloud was laughing silently—who the heck laughs with no noise? Leon kicked Cloud in the side. "Cloud! You know where Alex is, don't you? Tell me!" Kick. Kick.

Cloud flipped onto his stomach, and stood up. It wasn't very comfortable lying on his Buster Sword. "I don't know where Alex is, Leon. Stay still, and I might find her, alright?"

Leon's face resembled that of a puppy's when it is eating its favorite treat. "Really? Thanks, Cloud." Leon hugged the blond right there, in the hallway. Cloud took a step back to steady himself.

"…Uh, Leon?"

"What?" Leon mumbled into Cloud's hair.

Cloud shook him off and gathered the box into his arms again. He couldn't (in good conscience) leave that on the ground. He also couldn't (in good conscience) leave Leon by himself either. No matter how much he would like to.

The girls who where watching were scandalized. Did Professor Leonhart just _hug_ Professor Strife? Granted, he was currently under a love potion's influence, but still. _They_ wanted to be the ones Professor Leonhart hugged. At any rate, their potion worked, with Leon's repeated cries of "Alex, where are you?"

Cloud pulled a potion out of his pocket. He was just a _tiny_ bit paranoid. He used it, but the only thing that happened was the scab from a small cut Leon got last week faded away. Cloud frowned and tried an Elixir. Nothing. He unbuckled his Buster Sword, and held it in the air. "Curaga..." He whispered, and watched as the green light opened over Leon's head. Nothing, _again._ He'd have to take him to the infirmary place he overheard Sora talking about earlier.

"Come on, Leon…"

"Are you taking me to Alex?"

"—sigh—Yes…"

"Okay, then!"

Cloud tried to get Leon to follow him, but the brunet just blinked stupidly. "Come _on_, Leon!" Cloud forced his temper down, and tried again. In the end, he had to forcibly hold Leon's hand and _drag_ him around the school.

The truth was, Cloud had no idea where the Hospital wing was. So, he just kept moving until he saw someone he could ask. Down one hallway, a few Gryffindor sixth years were chatting. Cloud heaved Leon onward and he said cautiously, "Um, excuse me?"

The girls whirled around and froze. They stared at Cloud's hand firmly closed around Leon's, and Cloud's worried expression.

"Can you tell me where the Hospital wing is?"

One girl gasped. "Why? What's wrong, Professor?"

Cloud yawned and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. The girls thought it was adorable.

"Love potion…a Ravenclaw gave it to him…" Cloud "forgot" to mention that he was the one who made Leon "drink" it.

The girls gave him directions, and he thanked them. Leon wailed, "Alex! I can't find you _anywhere!_ Cloud, can we go look for her?" He hugged Cloud again.

Cloud sagged, and muttered, "Yeah. We'll find her. Come on." He staggered off down the hallway, Leon burying his face in Cloud's neck again.

The girls let out simultaneous high-pitched screams. Cloud would've covered his ears, but Leon was currently making his arms useless. Stupid love potion…Leon needed to get _off._ Cloud could tell his face was reddening.

Cloud shuffled through Hogwarts, following the girls' directions faithfully. On his left was a large area with beds…they made it. He kicked the door with his foot a few times; it didn't look like Leon was going to let him use his arms anytime soon. An irritable shouting came from inside. The grumbling got louder and louder until a lady opened the door.

"What do you want—oh!" She stared at the picture the two men made.

Cloud smiled ruefully and said, "Love Potion…"

As if on cue, Leon yelled, "Alex! Alex!"

The woman smiled and introduced herself. "I'm Madam Pomfrey, now come on. I want to go to bed!" She ushered them inside. Cloud pried Leon off his person and made the brunet sit on a bed. Madam Pomfrey returned with a rather nasty-looking potion. She held it up for Leon to see.

"Is it going to help me find Alex?"

"Yes, Professor Leonhart."

Leon swallowed a huge mouthful. He stayed still for a moment, and made a retching noise. Then he turned around and punched Cloud on the top of his skull.

"Ow…I deserved that…"

"Yes, you did." Leon noticed Madam Pomfrey. "Oh…Thanks…"

"Madam Pomfrey."

Leon nodded, and stood up. "Now that _that's_ over, I'm tired. Come on, Cloud." The two waved to Madam Pomfrey, thanked her again, and left.

Madam Pomfrey immediately turned all the lights off and ran down the hallway to gossip with Professor McGonagall.

The walk to the North tower was a quiet one; both men were too tired to think straight. The two climbed the ladder that led into their room. Brushing their teeth and getting changed only took a minute, and they fell onto their bed, already asleep.

--

Harry, Riku and Sora were walking down the hallway to the dungeons, when a bunch of girls ran in the direction where they came from previously. Towards Leon and Cloud. Not a good sign. The girls looked hopeful, and a bit anxious. None of them dwelled on it though—they were too busy dreading Snape's detention.

Snape was waiting for them outside his doorway, a positively _evil_ smile on his face. That wasn't a good sign, either. He pushed them inside, and smirked. Sitting in Snape's classroom was a towering pile of boxes. Harry couldn't believe it. _"Will we have to sort everything inside," He_ thought, _"Or just move them?"_

"I expect these boxes moved into the room across the hall before midnight." Snape turned and slammed his office door shut behind him.

"Moving them? That's it?" Sora grinned. "I was expecting paperwork." He dug his fingers underneath the first box and pulled. Whatever was inside made a crashing noise, which was followed by the telltale chinking of broken glass. Sora froze, and stared at Riku and Harry. "…oops?"

"Sora!"

* * *

**Hee hee...Poor Leon. Review, please? **_**Please?**_

**Ah! Just so everyone knows, this **_**is**_** Leon/Cloud and Riku/Sora, but not...soon. It's there, though. Don't worry.**

**Next chapter: Cloud eats his "God's candy," Leon meets Dobby, You (as the reader) meet the villains, and Peeves pisses everybody off.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one's a bit shorter, but I like it.**

**Special thank you to all of my reviewers, and everyone who put this under their faves and alerts!**

* * *

"M-master…someone wishes to see you…"

"Did he give a name?"

"N-no sir."

"Very well. Send him in."

Under normal circumstances, Sephiroth was not one to travel to dark, damp, gross places. He was not one to really talk to evil wizards, too. But this was different. When he found out that Cloud had left with that cursed gunblader to Hogwarts, he didn't know what to do with himself. He kept himself busy for awhile (a couple hours) but training by yourself isn't any fun. He even fashioned a speaker that played "One Winged Angel" whenever he wanted. But hearing your name shouted by a chorus and then followed by Latin can get annoying. If he heard another "Sephiroth!" he'd have to kill himself. And even that wouldn't work! Only Cloud can defeat him…

In a huff, Sephiroth used the power of darkness to teleport to a dirty old town in England. He had heard rumors of a man named Riddle—he wanted to see the man for himself. So there he was, waiting for a short, nasty an to return and let him talk.

The door opened, and Wormtail looked up at Sephiroth. "Come in, sir…" He pushed the door open, and Sephiroth pushed past him, careful to not let his wing touch anything.

Sitting in a chair with his back to him, was a figure. The chair turned slowly, and the man froze. He had no idea he was dealing with such a jaw-droppingly gorgeous man! Voldemort shook himself, there wasn't time for any of that. Sephiroth was shocked too—and a bit revolted. His acquaintance had _snake eyes_, for crying out loud!

"My name is Sephiroth. Are you Riddle?" Sephiroth asked in his deep voice.

Voldemort's face contorted. "I am not Riddle anymore, my name is Voldemort."

Sephiroth stood still and cupped his chin with his hand. "Voldemort? What kind of name is that?"

Voldemort was _not_ going to be teased. He pulled out his wand and—

Sephiroth's masamuse poked Voldemort in neck, and Voldemort's wand was pointed at Sephiroth's gut. Nagini was poised, about to sink her fangs into Sephiroth's calf, but balls of darkness floated around Voldemort's head.

There was silence, and both men pulled back. A stalemate.

"So. What do you need me for?" Voldemort folded his long fingers and looked at the silver-haired man.

Sephiroth smiled. "I need some entertainment. I believe there is a student at Hogwarts…Harry Potter? You're after him, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm after the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart. In particularly, Cloud.

"And I will help you…why?"

"Because I can get Harry."

Voldemort smiled; a sick, ugly thing it was too, and held out a hand. "Welcome, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth shook the offered hand, and wiped his hand on his pants. Partners in crime. (1)

--

"Hey, get up."

Leon opened his eyes slowly. Cloud stood in the doorway to the bathroom, looking a bit annoyed. "If you slept any longer, we'd be late." He shut the door behind him softly.

Leon sat up and rubbed his eyes. His second day of teaching… He yelled, "Cloud, what are we going to do today?"

A minute later, Cloud came out of the bathroom fully dressed. "I don't know," He sounded worried, "We can't teach them magic, we don't know any…"

Leon sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He passed Cloud, and went into the bathroom.

--

Walking to breakfast was a chore, because somehow it leaked out that the North tower was where Leon and Cloud slept. Waiting for them at the base of the ladder were a bunch of first years and a kid with a camera. They blinked at the kids. They stared back.

"What are you guys doing here?" Cloud looked at hem closely.

"We…uh…we've been here for awhile…" One of the kids yawned. Leon caught it, and yawned widely. He had neglected to tuck his shirt in like he usually did, and when he stretched, his shirt rode up to reveal his stomach.

The kid with the camera quickly took a few shots of Leon's exposed skin and ran away. The others darted away too, not believing the audacity of the boy with the camera.

Leon swore. "That kid was Colin Creevey, right?"

Cloud nodded, and saw the glint in Leon's eyes. They would have some fun later.

--

Cloud and Leon were _not_ getting used to people constantly ogling them. In Radiant Garden, people hadn't paid him any mind, and at least if they did, they had the decency to do it discretely. No, in Hogwarts, the students watched them wistfully, jealously, and in some cases with the older students, lustfully. That disturbed them the most. Even walking through the Great Hall was bad. Colin must have taken some pictures the previous day—there were an astounding number of students (boys and girls alike) who were drooling over pictures of them. And it was only the first full day of school! Three, if you count everyone seeing them the first time at dinner as a full day. There's no reason to, though.

Today Professors Strife and Leonhart stopped at the Gryffindor table to check up on Harry, Sora, and Riku. All three boys were almost asleep in their food.

Leon frowned. "What did Snape make you do?"

Sora blinked sleepily. "We had to move boxes…then we had to get rid of a roomful of pixies!"

Riku yawned and pinched himself. "Took us h-hours…"

"That was bad, even for Snape." Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Just do whatever you can to not get detention, alright?"

"Yeah…" Sora buried his head in his arms again. Ron patted his shoulder and said, "I know, I know." He laughed.

Leon watched as Cloud slowly leant forward. Cloud reached out a hand…and in a flash, he had pieces of everyone's bacon in his hands. They were too tired to notice. Ron, Hermione, Kairi, Yuffie and Leon stared at him. Cloud grinned and said, "I love bacon. It's…god's candy."

"God's…candy?"

Cloud nodded. Suddenly, shouts of "Professor Strife! Please, take my bacon, I don't need it!" Echoed throughout the room.

Cloud whirled around. He saw the bacon being offered to him and almost jumped for joy. To anyone else, Cloud's eyes shone, and the faintest of smiles graced his features, but Leon knew Cloud. He was almost going to start singing.

Cloud took a few pieces from a few students and thanked them. He sat at the table, and put his Emo face back on. But whenever he took a bite of his "God's candy" he beamed. A few Hufflepuffs were blinded.

As breakfast ended, Leon reminded the little group at the Gryffindor table that they had to be alert for Defense Against the Dark Arts. They all brightened up a little bit.

Cloud and Leon returned to their classroom. Their class needed a _lot_ of planning.

--

With the help of a _lot_ of juice and coffee, Leon and Cloud put together a half-way decent lesson plan. They didn't really know what to base it on—they'd look at the curriculum later. Today, they sat on the desk, eyes closed and arms folded. The class filled in, everyone except for Hermione glaring at Sora, and Hermione was in shock. Sora had actually beaten Hermione in Potions. When everything quieted down, Leon pushed himself gracefully off of the desk.

He gave a cool smile and said, "No detentions?"

"Nope!" Sora chirped.

Good. Did everyone wear the right clothes?"

There were nods and murmurs of agreement.

"Follow us." Leon grabbed his gunblade and Cloud got off the desk. They led the class out onto the Hogwarts grounds.

The class was anxious. What would they make them do? They weren't strong, and couldn't lift swords…

Leon stuck his gunblade in the ground when he thought they had reached a good spot. It was still warm outside; not as hot as it was during the summer, but perfect for having class outside. The class stood still, anxiously waiting for either man to start.

Leon ran a hand through his hair. "…We're not wizards, and we're not going to pretend that we are. We're going to teach you what we know; our goal is to make you capable of staying alive during battle or an attack. Um, everyone spread out and pick a partner."

Everyone quickly did so, and Neville was left without a partner. Leon sighed and raked a hand through his hair again. Cloud took this as his cure.

"Alright, on the count of three, everyone cast their favorite spell."

A few people stared at each other.

"One…two…three."

Shouts echoed, and a few things happened. One, somebody missed their partner, and a Petrificus Totalus went straight for Leon's head. He moved a fraction of an inch to the side, and it sailed past him to hit Neville in the chest. Two, Riku levitated Sora into the air, and a few girls screamed. Three, Cloud hit Leon with Blizzaga right after he dodged the Petrificus Totalus.

Riku let Sora fall, and Lavender screamed. Sora landed cleanly on his feet, as only a swordsman can. He stared at Lavender. Then another girl screamed, and pointed at leon. Said brunet was staring at his arm. There was a thin layer of ice over it. He glared at Cloud. The students figured out that it was Professor Strife who had turned Professor Leonhart's arm to ice.

"I said _everyone_ cast their favorite spell." Cloud said offhandedly.

Leon pulled out his wand (for one of the first times, too) and tapped his arm. The ice fell away. Of course, he could have cast Firaga to melt it, but then he would have put his clothes in danger.

Cloud seemed surprised that Leon knew how to use the wand. Leon had the sense to ask Madam Pomfrey about it earlier that morning. He had a feeling that there would be some sort of accident.

Leon studied Neville with his hands on his hips. Yep. Definitely frozen, but not in the same way his arm was a minute ago. He didn't know how to fix this… Leon unsheathed his Gunblade and murmured "Curaga." Neville sat up, completely fine.

"Uh, thanks, Professor." Neville looked away shyly.

"No problem." He shot another glare at Cloud, but the blond pretended not to notice.

Hermione raised her hand timidly. Cloud called on her. "Um, could you show us the spell you used, Professor Strife? I've never seen your kind of magic."

Cloud grinned. The class paid extra attention. He raised his Buster Sword and frowned for a moment. Ice and snow shot into the air, and came back down onto the class. Hermione held a piece of ice in her hand and watched it melt with amazement.

"Okay…someone pick a spell for all of us to try."

"Expelliarmus!" Someone shouted.

"Expelliarmus…yeah, okay."

Earlier that day, after Cloud finished his bacon, and everyone went to their first class, Leon and Cloud visited Professor McGonagall. She was happy to see them—they hadn't talked to her yet. They asked her "what the heck do you do with all these kids?!" …But with considerably less emotion.

McGonagall told them the name of a few simple spells; she was surprised that they both learned them so easily. They didn't want to be _that_ far behind their students.

"Everyone face their partner. Neville—you make sure that everyone's doing it right. Ready…one…two…three."

Shouts of "Expelliarmus!" Rang through the air. Wands flew away from their owners, and there were cries of triumph or frustration.

Leon surveyed the damage—Ron was lying on his back, dazed. Yuffie was twirling Kairi's wand, and Malfoy had to duck to avoid Goyle's wand which was headed towards his face.

They did this a few more times—Malfoy's mutterings became more and more obscene. When Cloud watched Neville once again get hit with a stray spell, he signaled for Leon to stop everyone.

When they quieted, Cloud left Leon the task of reviving Neville, and he addressed the kids. "Leon and I are going to spend half of our time dealing with magic, and the other half with…whatever we want. If you haven't taken your robes off yet, do it now."

Half the class threw their robes into the grass, excited to start what they considered to be the _real_ lesson.

Cloud and Leon rested their swords on their shoulders and gazed at the group of kids. Cloud yawned and said, "Everyone, go into the woods and find a stick. A big one; it's your sword."

The class stared. The forbidden forest? As in the one that was _forbidden?_

"Are you serious?" Malfoy paled.

Cloud stared at Malfoy. Grinning, he unwrapped some of the bandages on his Buster Sword. He pulled the lightest one out and handed it to Malfoy. Draco looked sick.

"Alright, you have three minutes. Go!" The teens scattered. Riku, Sora, Yuffie and Kairi remained.

"Hey. You too." Leon poked Sora in the shoulder.

"But we already have our swords!" Sora, Riku and Kairi produced their keyblades. Yuffie itched to pull out a shuriken, but it wasn't a sword, and probably wouldn't help her case any.

"So? Cloud said get a stick. Do it."

They grumbled, but did it anyway. Leon smirked at their backs. HE stood next to Cloud and jerked his head towards Malfoy.

"What are you going to do with him?"

Cloud shrugged. He made Malfoy take part of First Tsurugi on a more spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.

-In the woods-

"Harry?"

"Yeah, Ron?"

"What d'you think they're going to do to Malfoy?"

Harry didn't have a clue. He stopped his search for a suitable "sword" and looked through the trees to his right. He hated these woods… "Let's go, Ron." Harry quickly broke a thick branch off of a log near his feet, and exited the forest.

Leon addressed the class once they returned. "We're going to work with swords for awhile. You might not think you need it, but you can't always rely on your wands. If it gets taken by the enemy, you don't want to be left _completely_ helpless. That's why Cloud and I are even bothering to learn your kind of magic. It's unlikely, but if we ever lose our swords in battle, we can use the wands. Got it?"

"Yes, Professor Leonhart!"

"Good. Now hold your swords in battle position." Leon held his gunblade out in front of him, slanting from the ground to the sky. Cloud walked around fixing any that were held wrong.

Leon slashed twice. "Try that."

Harry confidently swung his stick—Hermione's flew out of her hands. Neville beamed—Cloud had told him he did well.

Now Leon was ready to go deeper. "Okay…the most important thing to remember when fighting someone in close combat—be it with swords or fists—is to keep _calm_. If you get intimidated and freak out, you're as good as dead."

Cloud joined Leon in the front of everyone, and the two men faced each other. "When someone swings at your left leg, what do you do?" Leon asked. Cloud swished First Tsurugi through the air and stopped the blade millimeters from Leon's left thigh.

"…Dean?"

"Um…you can block it."

"Block it how?"

"Bring your sword…vertically…next to your leg? Then they'll hit your sword instead of you leg."

Leon smiled. "Yeah." Cloud swung again and Leon's leg, and Leon parried it easily.

"Anyone else?" Leon blinked at the sudden increase of raised hands. "Hermione?"

"You could jump back." Hermione looked pleased. Leon thought for a moment. "You could…but…(Ron snickered at Hermione) Cloud's sword is too long to jump away from." (Several girls giggled.)

"Look." Cloud swung again, and Leon jumped backwards. The class could see that Leon was right—their dear Professor Strife's sword _was_ too long. The tip of it was still next to Leon's leg.

"See? For you guys, that won't be a problem. Anyone else?"

"Jump!" Someone called.

Cloud slashed his sword again, and Leon jumped up. As he went back down, Cloud slashed again. Leon brought up his knees so he didn't have to part with his ankles, and landed on the Buster Sword. Cloud turned it sideways—Leon started to fall. The brunet slashed at the metal that used to be keeping him up, and hit the ground. They rolled on the ground for a few feet, and had a stalemate. Leon was on his back, both hands bracing his gunblade up, and Cloud leaned over him and pressed down with his. They stayed like this for a few seconds, then they both relaxed and Cloud helped Leon to his feet.

Leon rested his gunblade on his shoulder. "You have a lot of choices in a fight. You have to train to find the best one. That goes for magic, too. Now break into pairs."

Everyone scrambled to find their partner from last time. Neville was left alone, and Cloud placed a hand on Malfoy's shoulder; stopping him form getting to Crabbe. Crabbe was paired with Neville, much to the younger boy's horror.

Cloud stayed with Malfoy as Leon walked to the center of the group of students. "One of you try attacking, the other defends." Leon pointed to Harry and Ron.

Harry gulped and aimed for Ron's head with a downward swing. Ron moved to the side quickly, but the stick skimmed his side.

"Harry, have you ever held a sword before?" Leon asked.

Harry nodded. "In my second year."

"Everyone, practice with your partner like Harry and Ron did."

Leon caught Cloud's eye and smirked. Cloud nodded once and launched himself at Malfoy. Cloud was obviously teasing. He wasn't trying to actually hurt Malfoy (Leon could tell anyway.) Cloud paused, an inch from Malfoy, and the boy screamed. He tried to lift his part of First Tsurugi and hit Cloud with it, but in the blink of an eye, Cloud was behind him. Cloud hoisted Malfoy by the collar and threw him into the air. Malfoy screamed and flailed. Cloud caught Malfoy easily before he could hit the ground. Leon felt his face split—he didn't know why, but being so close to Cloud for the past two days was starting to get to him. Make him…happier. Lighthearted, even. He could tell that Cloud felt the same way. Was it the kids? No. …probably. Maybe it was Cloud… Cloud was his—yes, he dared to say it—best friend. God, he felt like a teenage girl. He smacked himself in the forehead. But still…something at Hogwarts was changing him.

He'd have to monitor himself more closely in the future… "Nice work, Hermione!" Hermione had feinted left, and whacked Lavender on her hip.

"Lavender, keep on your toes more. You'll be less likely to fall for a feint."

"Okay, Professor!" The two girls tried again.

Leon strolled up to Cloud, who was busy antagonizing Malfoy. "Hey, do you know what time—Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"I left a casserole with the house-elves!"

"…what the _fuck_ is a house-elf?"

"Damn…Cloud, can you end by yourself? I have to go…"

"…Say please."

"Thanks, I—what?" Leon had started to run to the school, but he turned around and stared at Cloud.

"Say please, and I'll finish up."

"No."

"…"

"Fine! It's going to burn anyway," He muttered. "Cloud, will you _please_ end class by yourself? And maybe pick up the sticks?"

"…"

"Okay thanks!" Leon sprinted to the kitchens, causing several heads to whip his way as he skidded through the Great Hall, and ran down a hallway.

"…Okay…Um, everyone, stop!" The class stopped "fighting" and looked at Cloud. "We only have a…minute and a half left…so grab your sticks, and put them in a pile. Actually, bring them back to the classroom…"

Everyone's eyes widened in horror and everyone sprinted back to the school. Cloud smiled fondly at the group, and then realized that he was, in fact, smiling. He didn't do that often…right? He had a feeling that he had smiled a lot in the past two days. Cloud shook his head and followed them inside.

- - - - - - - - -

Leon sprinted around a corner (narrowly missing a few first-years) and reached a giant painting of a pear. It was odd how he discovered the kitchens—he was walking past the picture earlier that day, and someone must've been talking about him because he sneezed. When he put out a hand to steady himself against the painting, the pear wiggled a bit, and he was in the kitchens.

**START FLASHBACK**

Leon walked in, curiously. A bunch of wrinkly…things were bustling around. A few noticed him, and one of them, who was wearing a sock and a tie bounced over to him.

"I am Dobby, sir! Can I help you with anything?"

Leon blinked. "…what is this place?"

"Ah, this is the kitchens, sir! We make the food!"

"Oh. I thought that was magic."

"So do most, sir! If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"

"I'm Leon. Professor Leonhart."

All the house-elves who heard that spun around. Yes, the news of Leon and Cloud's hotness even spread to the house-elves. Leon was uncomfortable under all the staring eyes, and had an idea. "Dobby, can I make something?"

Dobby screamed. Loudly. "Professor Leonhart! You are so kind, so noble, different from the others! Never before has anyone wanted to cook! Dobby has always assumed that wizards did not know how!"

"…Oh…"

And that's how he met Dobby and the house-elves.

**END FLASHBACK**

This time, Leon wiggled his fingers over the pear, and burst into the kitchen. The house-elves were cooking like always, and Dobby was tending to a house-elf in the corner. Leon threw open the oven, and picked up some house-elf oven mitts. Way too small. He picked up his casserole carefully, and set it on top of the oven. Perfect.

- - - - - - - - -

Later, an exhausted Cloud flopped onto the desk. Leon sighed, and leaned heavily against the wall. It had been a long day—six classes, six groups of kids, and more tomorrow.

"Come on, Cloud. There's no point in waiting in here…" Leon tapped Cloud's back and picked up his Gunblade. Cloud yawned and stretched, nodding.

In the hallway, when they were heading to the Great Hall, a little poltergeist flew up to Cloud and blew in his ear. The little man cackled and pointed to the two of them.

"Filchy was right! The two of you are just pretty boys!"

Cloud bristled, and stood straighter.

Peeves zoomed a few feet above their heads and cleared his throat noisily.

"Leonhart and Strife,

Leonhart and Strife,

Peevsie's never seen

People like you before

In his whole life!

Covered in leather,

Zippers and belts,

No one's as Emo

As the two of—ugh!"

Cloud wrapped his fingers around Peeves' neck. Peeves gulped and froze.

"Peeves…do that again, and I'll do more than strangle you."

"Mm-hmm!" Peeves nodded. Cloud released him, and Peeves zoomed away, cursing.

Leon snorted. "It wasn't funny, Leon," Cloud said, and pushed his way past the brunet into the Great Hall.

Kids started piling into the room, eager for dinner. Many had bruises and grass stains on their clothes, but nobody seemed to care. It was too much fun.

Currently, Harry, Riku and Sora were arguing about the overall fun-ness of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"You guys didn't like it because you didn't get to use the swords you wanted." Harry sat at the table, and Sora plopped down next to him.

"Well, I don't see why we _couldn't _use our keyblades!" Sora pouted.

"What's a keyblade?" Harry asked curiously.

Sora pulled Riku down next to him. "My sword. It's called a keyblade."

"…I wonder why they didn't let you use it…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Riku rolled his eyes. "Me and Sora are just too good. Kairi and Yuffie, too. Our _Professors_ didn't want us kicking your asses."

"…You're right, Riku!" Sora laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Hey guys!" Yuffie jumped and sat down between Harry and Sora.

"Yuffie, hey! Cut it out—ouch!" Yuffie pushed Sora, and the unfortunate brunet smashed into Riku's left shoulder.

"Yuffie…"

Leon stood behind them, his arms crossed. How did he always know when they did something bad?

"Oh…heh, hi Leon."

"Hn." Leon turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Sora called.

"Kitchens, I need to get my ca-"

"No need, Professor Leonhart!"

Everyone turned and stared at the source of the noise. Dobby stood in the entrance of the Great Hall, holding a casserole over his head.

Leon was surprised for a moment. "Oh, thanks Dobby. I was going to get it myself…"

Dobby placed it in his hands and bowed deeply. "No trouble at all! Next time, Dobby will be happy to deliv—oh!" Dobby noticed Harry. His smile was huge when he called, "Harry Potter! Winky is much better, perhaps Harry and his friends will come visit?"

"Yeah, I'd like that, Dobby." Dobby's face almost split.

Leon placed the dish in front of the teens and looked around the table for a knife. With a smirk he cut two good-sized slices off, and after placing them on small plates, he said, "You can share the rest."

With screams of joy, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and even a few Slytherins ran over to their table. The brave Gryffindors tried to hold them back—but a group of girls pushed past them.

Sora crouched defensively over the casserole. "Leon's cooking is the best! You can't have it! No—stay away! Reflega!"

But the attackers were not discouraged. There would be _war_, if need be.

Leon rolled his eyes, nodded to Dumbledore, and placed his plate on the table. He gave the other one to Cloud; he knew Cloud loved his food. Cloud only slightly inclined his head, but on the inside, he was dancing. A jig. With a hat on. And no pants.

...Maybe he liked Leon's cooking a _bit _too much. Cloud took a bite and grinned into his plate.

Leon, who sat down after leaning his Gunblade against the wall, saw Cloud's reaction. He knew he was a good cook, he could still hear yelling coming from the Gryffindor table. Speaking of which, a Slytherin, a few Ravenclaws, and three Gryffindors, (Sora, Yuffie, and Fred Weasley) managed to get a piece of Leon's casserole. They all had scratch marks, welts…was that Hufflepuff _hexed?_ Leon propped his head up, elbow on the table.

"Hey Leon."

Leon turned his head to see Cloud looking at him. "Yeah?"

"When do you want to train?"

Leon looked up. Not that it helped, though. The ceiling of the Great Hall wasn't always what it was like outside. Today was one of the exception days. But when he and Cluod had their last class, it seemed okay outside.

"Let's do it after dinner. Everyone will be in their…common rooms, right?"

Cloud stretched and nodded.

During dinner, Cloud got into conversation with Hagrid. Hagrid talked about Hippogriffs, and Cloud told him about Chocobos.

"What? A _Chocobo?_"

"…Yes?"

"I've wanted one o' them ever since I was a tyke! D'yeh have one?"

Cloud shrugged. "A few."

Hagrid's jaw dropped. "A _few_? Where are you from? They're so rare…"

"Oh, Nibelheim, Midgar, Wutai…"

"Never heard of it." Hagrid scratched his head.

"You don't have Gummi ships. So you wouldn't know."

"What's a Gummi ship?"

Leon leant forward so he could explain. "A Gummi ship…is a ship that lets you travel between worlds. That's how Sora, Riku and Kairi got here."

"What? You're _aliens?_" Hagrid yelled. Several heads turned, including Sora's. He started laughing, he knew exactly what was going on.

Leon and Cloud just stared. "…No, we're not…Well, maybe. We're not from another _planet,_ another _world._"

Hagrid frowned.

Leon sighed. "A world is like…another dimension? No, It's like another Earth…" Leon got _himself_ confused.

Cloud laughed and said, "Later, Hagrid. We have to go."

"Yeah…bye."

The two men shouldered their weapons, and started to leave. Cloud announced to Sora, Riku, Yuffie and Kari that they were leaving.

"Want to watch guys?" Sora asked.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Seamus agreed.

"Meet us in…fifteen minutes." Leon picked up the empty casserole dish and followed Cloud out of the room.

"Wait! Professors!" Hermione came running from behind the table, and fished around in her pocket. "Would you like a pin for-"

"Hermione!" Ron yelled. "No more spew!"

"It's not _spew,_ Ron!" Hermione shot back. "I started an organization that's against the mistreatment and enslavement of house-elves like Dobby. Would you like a pin?" She held one out.

Leon took it, and glanced at the S.P.E.W. "The house-elves in the kitchens don't seem unhappy."

Hermione stood straighter. "That's because they don't know! Some house-elves, like Dobby, were beaten and abused in their old homes."

Leon smiled and took one. Hermione offered one to Cloud, who took one as well. Hermione was ecstatic. "Thank you, Professors!"

"No problem." They bade farewell to everyone and made their way to their room.

Leon hated that their room had to be in the North tower. It was so far away…Wait. Was that voices?

* * *

**Cliffhanger...sorta. Kinda.**

**(1) I would like to say right here and now that this is NOT Sephiroth/Voldemort! That's just so sick and wrong I don't know where to start. **

**Next Chapter: Snape snaps, (heh...alliteration...) Ginny helps Cloud and Leon out, and Yuffie gives Cloud something that is defenitely "Not a manga."**

**Okay, review please, I really love you guys for it! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A super GIGANTIC thanks to everyone to faved and alerted this! There's so many! Thank you! **

* * *

"Cloud!" Leon stopped walking and peered around the corner. In front of the empty painting that led to their ladder stood a bunch of kids, Colin Creevey included. Earlier that day, Leon made Colin help him demonstrate "the wrong way to defend."

"They're in front of our room…what should we do?" He whispered to Cloud. Cloud ducked underneath Leon's arms and poked his head around the corner. He winced and looked around wildly.

"There! Look, it's Ginny Weasley." Ginny had proved herself to be _very_ capable earlier that day.

Leon hissed, "Ginny!" He waved her over.

Ginny hurried over quietly. She looked confused. "Can I help you Professors?"

Leon ran a hand through his hair. "…We need your help."

"With what?"

Cloud pointed at the kids. Ginny nodded. "You need me to distract them?"

Leon nodded. "But first, doesn't Gryffindor have a painting that lets people in?"

Ginny blinked. "Oh yeah. The Fat Lady. You give her the password, and she lets you in."

Leon got an idea. "I'll be right back." He jogged down the corridor. Cloud and Ginny glanced at each other. Leon returned a minute or so later holding a giant painting.

"Oh no…Leon, is that…?" Cloud suddenly looked years older.

Leon rubbed his neck. "He'll do…he's better than nothing!" He flipped the canvas around to reveal—Sir Cadogan.

Ginny burst out laughing. "In my second year, he let Sirius Black in with a knife!"

Leon paled, and wondered if getting Sir Cadogan to do the job was a good idea. It was too late now, anyway. "Ginny…do something."

Ginny nodded and ran in front of the kids. She panted and huffed out, "Did you hear?" The other kids' faces lit up. "Professor Leonhart and Professor Strife are shirtless and pouring water over themselves! Come on!" She ran down the opposite hallway, the kids on her heels. (Drooling).

Cloud raised an eyebrow. Who would be stupid enough to believe that…? He couldn't imagine Leon shirtless and pouring water over himself…no, wait. He could. He gulped, and shook his head. He saw Leon shirtless all the time. Well…not _all_ the time, but every now and then…

Leon was having a similar problem. He mimicked Cloud's head-shaking and beckoned for Cloud. They crept out of their hiding place, and Leon placed Sir Cadogan against the empty frame on the wall.

"Cloud…how do we get him up?"

"I say, put me down, you dogs! You—oh! It's you again!" Sir Cadogan peered up at Leon.

"We need your help." Leon said uncomfortably.

"You require my assistance? Aha! I will be more than happy to help!"

Cloud tried to pry the currently empty frame off of the wall. He frowned, and placed his feet on either side of the frame and pushed against the wall. Nothing. He grunted, and pulled again. It cracked loudly, and it, along with Cloud, soared off the wall. Cloud landed neatly on his feet.

Leon held Sir Cadogan up on the now-empty bit of wall. "How do you get him to stick?" He asked Cloud. The blond shrugged.

They tried tapping the painting with their wands, but not everything can be solved with tapping. Both men frowned. "Hey…I'll be back." Cloud walked down the hallway. A few minutes later, he came back with Professor Flitwick. Cloud must've explained their predicament, because Flitwick was trying not to laugh. He watched Leon miserably trying to ignore Sir Cadogan's incessant chatter.

Flitwick pulled out his wand and studied the back of the canvas. "I can do a sticking charm, a permanent sticking charm, I can seal it with glue that doesn't come off for two weeks-"

"Sticking charm," They said in unison. No matter _what,_ they did _not_ want Sir Cadogan to be stuck on their wall forever. Flitwick grinned and performed the charm. He waved away their thanks and hurried back to his classroom.

Leon eyed Sir Cadogan. "So. You let us in if we give you a password?"

"Correct!"

"…Why?"

"…I'm not sure. Oh! Someone could be in disguise to look like you. Polyjuice potion and all that, lad."

Leon sighed. "What's the first password?"

Sir Cadogan thought. "Schmokalily."

"…Schmokalily?"

"Indeed."

Cloud said, "Absolutely not. Make the password something normal, like heartless."

Sir Cadogan crossed his arms. "Schmokalily."

"Heartless."

"Schmokalily!"

"…Heartless."

"Schmo-"

"Stop!" The bickering men looked at Leon. "Cloud and I will pick the password half of the time, and you will pick the rest. Deal?"

"No dea-"

Cloud pointed his Buster sword directly at Sir Cadogan's heart.

"…Deal."

"Good. Now…" He paused. "Schmokalily."

The painting swung open, allowing Leon and Cloud to scramble up the ladder. They both stuffed potions in their pockets and jumped down the shaft. Cloud threw the "door" open—Sir Cadogan tumbled off his pony into the dirt. They didn't stop to apologise—they were L. A. T. E. _late._

The agreed meeting spot was next to the lake. Leon and Cloud hurried there; they could see everyone else waiting for them.

"You're late!" Sora yelled.

They shrugged in response.

Cloud stopped walking suddenly and looked back at the school. "…We forgot to tell Madam Pomfrey."

"Tell who what?" Sora cocked his head to the side.

"She's the…nurse. We have to tell her before we do anything."

"Well, come on!" Sora started sprinting away. He stopped. "Which way is the nurse?"

Harry laughed. "It's called the Hospital wing. I know the way—I've been there a lot." Everyone fell into step behind Harry. The way to the Hospital wing wasn't long; Harry know where he was going, unlike Cloud the previous day.

Harry knocked on the door, and walked in. Madam Pomfrey saw Harry and screamed, "What now Potter? I swear, if I find you you've lost the bones in your arm again, or, or… bashed your head open…!"

"No! Nothing like that." Harry held up his hands in surrender.

"Then what—oh! Hello Professors!" She beamed at them. "Have you stayed away from Love potion?"

Everyone stared at Cloud, who suddenly looked sheepish, and Leon, who looked angry. "…Yes…" Cloud rubbed his neck. "Sora, Riku, Kairi, Yuffie, Leon and I are going to practice."

"Practice what?" Madam Pomfrey sounded suspicious.

"Fighting."

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Tell me, what healing spells do you know?"

"We all know curaga…"

Madam Pomfrey gasped. "You _all_ know _Curaga?_"

Everyone nodded.

"…Is that all you have?"

Everyone pulled potions and elixirs out of his or her pockets. Madam Pomfrey inspected them and grunted. "If it was up to me, I would say no. The students will want to start fighting. But you've got Albus' permission, so I can't stop you. But! I expect all of you to report back to me when you're done."

"Deal!" Sora shook her hand energetically. "I'm Sora."

Madam Pomfrey blinked slowly. "…None of you do anything dangerous, now."

Leon nodded and strode out of the room. Everyone else followed. Back in the courtyard next to the lake, Cloud claimed the area between a tree and a gargoyle, Sora and Riku said that from the tree to a big rock was theirs, and Yuffie and Kairi took from the rock to the rest of the courtyard. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Seamus sat in the grass a short distance away. Sora whipped out his Keyblade.

The four in the grass stared at the Keyblade. "He fights…with a key?" Ron looked at Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's called a _Keyblade,_ so of course it's a giant key."

Kairi pulled out her own Keyblade and Yuffie waved her giant shuriken around.

"Go Kairi!" Seamus yelled. Kairi flashed him a smile.

Yuffie teleported behind Kairi, but the redhead dove to the side. The shuriken flew over Kairi's head, and Yuffie jumped to avoid the keyblade that was about to hit her ankles. Seamus bit his fingernails in worry.

Harry rolled his eyes and watched as Riku ran at Sora holding Way to Dawn. Sora parried Riku's attack and dodge rolled to the side. Ron and Harry wished that they could do that. Hermione watched Leon and Cloud with fascination. Cloud was faster—but Leon seemed to have more power behind his swings. She watched the two men slash at each other; she considered herself _very_ lucky to be this close to the hottest men (in what she thought) the universe.

Neville had finished his homework (a half-foot long essay about the importance of sleeping draughts) a while ago, and was relaxing in the Common room, staring out the window. He was the first one to realize that his new Professors and four students were fighting in the courtyard. He tapped Dean Thomas on the shoulder, and pointed out the window. Dean alerted half the Gryffindors by accident, and Colin Creevey pushed past everyone to take pictures. Some girls climbed through the Portrait hole to tell their friends in Hufflepuff—who in turn told the Ravenclaws. Everyone pressed their noses to the nearest window and stared. Even some teachers noticed the students paying no attention to the slightest thing except whatever they were watching outside. Professor McGonagall watched her co-workers with Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout; they loved to gossip in private.

Cloud hit Leon's gunblade extra hard, and it got knocked out of Leon's hands. He ducked and said, "Ah…you win. What's the score now?"

Cloud helped Leon to his feet. "I don't remember. Let's start over. Leon-zero, Cloud-one."

Leon scowled. "I'll tie it next time."

"Yeah. Right." Cloud grinned.

Riku and Sora were still going strong, and Yuffie and Kairi were sprawled in the grass, chatting with Hermione and Seamus.

"Sora! Riku!" Cloud yelled. "We're going in."

Sora panted, "O-okay." Riku held a stitch in his side.

"You did well, everyone." Hermione said.

"Thanks…now we have to report to Madam Pomfrey…" Sora groaned. "I just want to go to sleep!"

"Too bad, Sora." Riku cracked his neck. Sora pouted.

--

Madam Pomfrey examined everyone, fussing over the identical bruises on Cloud and Leon's arms, and the cut on Kairi's left shoulder. She let them go with a warning and a sigh, and they thankfully split up to get some much-needed rest.

Leon and Cloud climbed the steps to their room in companionable silence. Sir Cadogan was trying to slay his pony; his sword was a bit too heavy for him to lift it—the pony was almost laughing at him. The little knight noticed them and yelled, "You knock me off my steed, and do not even stop to apologize! You are lower then dirt, you, you dogs!" He continued to rant, but Cloud (with tangible pain in his voice) said, "S-Schmokalily…" The painting opened, and the two men climbed the ladder.

Cloud looked at their clock—there was still an hour or so left before he had to start thinking about sleep. He waved goodbye to Leon and ventured to the library. He heard the library had interesting books; he wanted to check for himself.

A few of the older students were still in the halls, the ogled him and thought about the muscle-flexing, skin showing extravaganza earlier. Cloud was learning to ignore the stares and mental undressing, but if another cocky seventh year tried to grab his ass again, he would lose it. The kid would be bound, gagged, bruised and hanging by their balls from the ceiling. Yep, because surprisingly, the boys were the ones who tried to touch him. The girls were content with staring and trying to slip him love potions, but the boys had to push it…! Perhaps he was in a bad mood. Who cares? When teachers were stalked so much they had to get a crazy knight on a pony to guard their room, they had every right to be angry, and he didn't doubt that other Professors wanted to scream and sock someone in the face, maybe give them a good kic-

"Cloudster!"

"Huh, oh…hi, Yuffie." Cloud was secretly thankful for the girl's interruption. He didn't like to rant for too long.

Yuffie popped a gum bubble loudly. "Looking for a book?"

"Yeah…" He bent down to examine one of the lower shelves. Yuffie turned around to examine the occupants of the library. Yep, just as she thought.

"Hey Cloud?" Yuffie blew another bubble Cloud inclined his head slightly. "You probably shouldn't bend over like that. People are staring at your ass."

Cloud choked and stood up quickly. Yuffie laughed. "Hold on, there's a book I want you to read, alright?" She skipped off to get whatever she wanted to show him. Cloud stood still, and tried to look at the books on the bottom without actually bending down enough for him to see the words on the spines. It wasn't working. He gave up, and wandered a bit to the left to see if there was anything interesting higher up. Ah…there's a good one! Cloud reached up and almost instantly, the library broke out in whispers. Cloud snapped his arms back down to his sides and glared at the book. He couldn't even reach a book without whispers and commotion. Damn his modesty…

"Silence! This is a _library!" _

Cloud turned to see a strict-looking woman leering at a bunch of students. They made pained faces and hurriedly engrossed themselves in their books again. The woman noticed Cloud staring at her and snapped, "And just what are you looking a-" She stared.

Cloud shifted uncomfortably. What a weirdo…

"I'm the librarian! Madam Pince…And you are?"

"Cloud Strife…"

"The new Professor?"

Cloud nodded.

"Minerva's told me _all_ about you. And the other one…Leonhart, was it?"

Another hesitant nod.

"I simply could not believe that I never met you, I mean…with all the talk about the two of you, it was shocking that I didn't meet you the first day! Minerva and I both agree-"

"Cloud!" Yuffie skipped over to him and thrust two small books into his hands.

"Young lady! We are in a _library!_"

Yuffie grinned. "My bad…anyway, Cloud. Make sure to read these, okay?"

"…Yeah…" Cloud pulled the nearest book off the shelf and turned to leave. "Leon's waiting for me, so, bye. I've got three." He scooted out the door super-fast. _Man,_ women could talk. He could faintly hear Madam Pince calling his name…crap….

Cloud walked the way to his shared room with Leon, not bothering to look at the books he was carrying. He didn't really care anymore… Leon gave him a brief smile when Cloud poked his head over the ladder, and went back to cleaning his Gunblade. Cloud ripped his shirt off and walked past his friend to the bathroom. Like Leon, Cloud didn't like to take showers in the morning.

He returned to the living room; Leon was _still_ fawning over his sword. Cloud sat on the couch and pulled the books into his lap. The first one was called Hogwarts, A History. He vaguely remembered Hermione talking about it earlier that day. He lifted it up and peered at the next book. It looked like a manga, small with anime-looking people on the front. He opened it up to a random page and choked. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and all the blood in his body drained out of his head. It all came rushing back, making his face brighter than a tomato. He shrieked (yes, a super girly high-pitched shriek) and flung the book through the room. It hit the back of Leon's head and fell to the ground.

Leon turned around, supreme confusion written on his face. If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have believed that Cloud was capable of making such a noise. Or being that red. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I-Yuffie! It wasn't…that…not a manga!" Cloud resembled a fish out of water.

"…Cloud?" Leon said slowly. Cloud looked horrified-er. Leon picked up the mess of paper at his feet. He looked at one of the pages. What…what _was_ that? And…Oh. God. Leon dropped the book and looked at Cloud. Said man was staring at the "book," which was now on the floor again.

"…Cloud, where did you get that?"

Cloud started and looked into Leon's eyes. He said slowly, "Yuffie got it in the library…"

He was going to _kill_ Yuffie. How could she give Cloud a doujinshi? The blond just wasn't ready for such things. He sighed and placed the doujinshi, along with its partner, on the desk closest to the door. Cloud immersed himself in Hogwarts, A History, but he did it mostly to cover the blush that was erupting over his face.

- - - - - - - - -

So, they settled into a groove. They taught their classes, Leon made something or another in the kitchens every few days, and they held regular training sessions on the grounds somewhere. Sometimes Riku, Sora, Kairi and the others would join them, sometimes the wouldn't. Cloud was the most faithful—when even Leon didn't feel up to it, he would help Hagrid with some odd job to keep himself active. Hagrid and Cloud were becoming good friends; often Cloud visited Hagrid in his hut.

Malfoy had been quick to notice this; he openly made "fun" of Cloud for associating with that "Big Oaf."

Cloud was sure to throw Malfoy extra high next time.

They got used to almost regular love-potion poisoning attempts, too. Only one case was reported. When Leon was giving Cloud the grand tour of the kitchens one day, the cup of juice that Cloud drank everyday was assaulted by a Slytherin. The poor blond was hiccupping "Zabini!" _Honestly._ Leon had to drag him to the Hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was not amused. On the good side, they got a little flask of antidote each.

It was just a few weeks into the start of term when Snape snapped. Cloud and Leon were throwing balls of paper at their wall (they were _very_ bored) when Snape burst into their room. A vein throbbed in his temple. He slammed a stack of parchment onto the desk—the paper crinkled with all the weight he was smashing it with. Snape gave them both a look of pure hatred. His face was almost _purple_ with rage, and his knuckles were white.

The not-so-new-anymore Professors weren't fazed. Snape should try that against Aerith when her kitchen was a mess. It wasn't often, because Leon liked a clean kitchen as well, but when it was…oh boy.

"I've had it! This has gone on for _far_ too long!" Snape thrust the topmost piece of parchment under Cloud's nose. Leon, who was keeping score by the trashcan, leant over the desk to take a look. Scribbled in the margins of someone's homework were the words, "I love Professor Leonhart," and "Cloud Strife" surrounded by little hearts and the like. Other doodles were everywhere—bad drawings of spiky hair, the initials C.S, and in one case, S.L. Dammit, someone leaked his name. Probably Yuffie…

Cloud looked Snape straight in the eye and said, "What do you expect us to do about it?" His voice was monotone, and he steepled his fingers. Absolutely business like. Because after all, what was a better way to deal with an egotistical jackass than to be a jackass yourself? They would just do it with more...class.

Snape barked, "They're _your_ students! Control them and what they writ-"

"But they're your students too." Leon sat on the edge of the desk and folded his legs. He too, stared at Snape with the utmost serious expression.

"But _you_ are the-"

"So tell them to stop." Cloud waved his hand in annoyance.

"I shouldn't _have_ to, _you're _the ones those lovesick brats ate pining aft-"

"But it's your class. _Your_ work. Show some authority, Professor Snape," Leon said, and held a fist in the air.

"I agree," Cloud added. "You have to be the dominant one in this relationship. Not us."

Snape looked sick. This conversation was _not_ going the way he wanted it to.

"So tomorrow, give it a try. Hopefully it will yield some positive results." Leon steered Snape towards the door.

"We expect an update no later than Friday!" Cloud called as Snape hurried away down the corridor. As soon as he turned the corner, their poker faces broke. Leon shook his head with a big grin on his face as Cloud laughed loudly. Even two weeks ago they wouldn't have done such a thing. Perhaps they _were_ changing a little bit…

- - - - - - - - -

During the next week, Hogwarts was abuzz with talk of Halloween. Leon was surprised to learn about the troll that Harry, Ron and Hermione faced in their first year. Harry said it wasn't a big deal—but Ron swore that the troll tried to kill him seven times. …Which was partly true. But what startled him the most was Sora. He was doing fantastic in Potions, for reasons unknown to him. Didn't Potions require patience, careful movements, and the following of steps? Sora was hyper, impatient, clumsy and hated rules. But he succeeded anyway.

Snape was becoming unbearable—he disliked Riku and Harry on principle, and it seemed that he tried to hate Sora. Tried being the operative word. Sora would flash his "I'm-innocent-please-be-my-friend-I-love-everyone" smile, and Snape would crumble. He tried desperately to stay mean, but to no avail. Sora won over all the other Professors in the school—except one.

He had never met Professor Trelawney, and he didn't really care to. Not after Sora's description of the woman, and Hermione's story of how she walked out in her third year. But he was forced to. After he and his faithful sidekick (Cloud) politely refused "delicious liquid sugar balls" from a group of Ravenclaws, (the Ravenclaws were the most persistent) they headed up to their room. Sir Cadogan was drunk again; it took a lot of prodding for him to realize that they wanted to get in.

Just as Cloud was about to give the password, the woman walked down the hallway and noticed them. Leon should have seen it coming. They _did_ live right next to the woman after all.

Professor Trelawney blinked her over-magnified eyes. "…And just who might you two be?" she spat.

Cloud glanced at Leon. Leon's eyebrows were rising into his hair. Professor Trelawney put her hands on her (rather shapeless) hips. "We're the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors." Cloud said slowly, standing back up.

Professor Trelawney's eyes bugged out of her head, which wasn't saying much. "I was, of course, aware that you two are my neighbors. However, the all-seeing do not like to boast about their powers. I knew that you two were-" She waved her hands around wildly, "But…I-you…" She waved more frantically, "I overheard Minerva talking about you to Albus, but I-"

Cloud decided to put the woman out of her misery. (The nice way, not with a needle to the butt.) "You're a fortune teller?"

Professor Trelawney stiffened. "I am not a _fortune teller_. I am a _seer_. Seers are a scarce group, full of honor, but persecuted so… _Fortune tellers,_" She said the words with more than a little disgust, "Are fakes who try to get your money, so they can switch it with their own fake currency, and for one, I hate th-"

"So, can you tell us something?" Leon cut her off before she could get into full-out rant mode. Professor Trelawney looked affronted.

"The all-seeing eye does not work on command!" She snapped.

Cloud sagged. "Well…if you really can't tell us our fortune…" He turned to Sir Cadogan.

Professor Trelawney made a strangled noise. "Wait!" She yelled. "I-I am seeing something! It-It's dark…there's two shapes…Cats? Ducks? Pygmy Marmosets?" She gasped loudly. "No! It's…the _Grim!_" She staggered backwards in horror.

"…The Grim?" Leon said slowly. Cloud shrugged.

"Yes, the Grim! The bringer of death, the ultimate foreshadower, the-"

"Well, that's no surprise. We both know we're pretty much screwed," Cloud said bluntly. He ground out "Yaplak" to Sir Cadogan. Cloud disappeared up the ladder, and Leon was left with alone with Professor Trelawney.

"Um…bye." Leon gave a two-fingered wave and hurried up after Cloud. Said man was sitting on his half of their "bed," laughing. He looked up when Leon approached.

"Sorry," He said. "That lady was just so full of shit."

Leon grinned. "Cloud," He said suddenly. "I've got an idea."

"About what?"

"Trelawney said something about switching…"

- - - - - - - - -

It was Halloween. One of Leon's most hated and loved holidays. He hated Halloween because of the danger factor. People—even if they were kids, knocked at Merlin's door again and again…and _again_…but he kept his anti-Halloween thoughts to himself. Everyone else seemed to like it. He partly loved Halloween because of the business of costumes. You could pretend to be someone you weren't, even if it was just for a day. That's why this year he decided to come in costume. Kind of.

-In the Great Hall-

"M-Morning…" Ron yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes. He opened them again and stared at Sora. "What are you _wearing?_" He asked. Sora's robes had some sort of spell on them. In random places the words "Happy Halloween" flashed every few seconds.

"Do you like it?" Sora posed.

"It's brilliant. How'd you do it?" Harry asked.

"Kairi and Hermione did it. Kairi's really, really good at Charms!"

Kairi bowed. Ron clapped and said "Hey!" suddenly. "Do you think anyone else did something cool for Halloween? Well, other than let a troll into the school, that is." Ron grinned at the memory.

"Maybe Snapey got into the spirit!" Yuffie snorted. "Or not. He wouldn't get into _any _holiday's spirit, much less Hallo- Cloudster!" She shouted. "Looking nice!"

Everyone in the Great Hall looked at the doorway. Leon and Cloud were considerably…different. One of the girls in Hufflepuff fainted. Cloud was wearing Leon's clothes, and Leon, Cloud's. Cloud looked a bit uncomfortable in the tight leather. He was used to baggy pants, which Leon was now wearing. The brunet kept plucking at the left sleeve.

The girls in Ravenclaws were flabbergasted. Who knew Cloud had such hips? Several students were already flocking to Colin Crevey. Colin was clicking away on his camera a mile a minute.

Cloud was a bit self-conscious. He supposed that Leon looked good in leather, _he_ felt _fat_. Wow, he felt like a teenage girl.

They stopped to talk to their favorite little group of students. Yuffie was grinning from ear to ear. "Happy Halloween," Cloud all but groaned. What had possessed them to switch clothes for a day?

Yuffie jumped in the air and wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders. "Don't sound so sad! You're _wearing Leon's pants_. Half the population here would kill to!" Yuffie waved at all the kids eyeing Cloud's butt.

"I don't see why they would." Cloud said dryly. "They're tight and uncomfortable."

"You think yours is any better?" Leon said, offended. "There's so much unnecessary…stuff." He shook his left arm and kicked his left leg, letting the black fabric flap. "I feel like I'm _drowning_." They glared at each other for a minute.

"Isn't it cute?" Yuffie said to Hermione. "They're arguing!"

Cloud and Leon looked at Yuffie with the same murderous expression. Cloud took a few steps forward. Yuffie cowered. Cloud took another step. Yuffie covered her head. Cloud leant over the table. Everyone present shut their eyes.

Yuffie opened her eyes first. Leon and Cloud were a good distance away, and Leon looked exasperated. Then she looked at their plates. "Dammit Cloud!" She screeched.

Everyone else opened their eyes. All of their bacon was gone…and their dear, beloved Professor Strife stole it. Cloud scrunched up his nose and grinned at the miffed teenagers. Leon rolled his eyes and sat at the Professors' table. Hagrid was carting in pumpkins; perhaps he'd help.

Leon got up from the table and walked over to Hagrid. "Hey Hagrid." Leon said to the man's turned back. Hagrid turned around and stared at his clothes.

"Erm, why are you wearin' Professor Strife's clothes, Professor Leonhart?"

Leon inclined his head towards the pumpkin. "Halloween…"

"Oh." Hagrid went back to carting pumpkins. "I'm carryin' in these pumpkins 'cause o' the Hogsmeade trip. Some smart aleck thinks it's smart ter smash them…"

"Need a hand?"

Hagrid grinned. "Sure. Thanks." And together, they lifted the orange fruits from the courtyard to the Great Hall.

During this, Cloud finished his bacon and got deep into conversation with Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout.

"So, Strife," Professor Sprout was saying—for some reason, all the female teachers (Professor Flitwick too) were remarkably familiar with Cloud. But not Leon. No, it was "Strife and Professor Leonhart." Soon they'd be calling him Cloudster like Yuffie did.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade?"

Cloud put an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. "Hogs-what?"

Professor McGonagall explained. "Hogsmeade. It's a little town near here. There's a trip today. Did you not hear about it?"

Cloud shook his head. He hadn't heard about it.

"You should come, most of the teachers do." Professor Sprout gestured to just about everyone at the table—Snape wasn't one of them.

Cloud grinned. "Maybe. I'll go ask Leon if he wants to go." He excused himself from the table and joined Hagrid and Leon.

Professor McGonagall stared at Cloud's leather-clad form. "You'd think they're attached at the hip."

"Think so?"

"Yeah. Like brothers…"

"You know, they would make a _hot_ couple," Professor Sprout said casually.

Professor McGonagall whirled around to stare at the younger woman. "Why? Would it bother you, Minerva?" Professor Sprout asked.

Professor McGonagall watched Cloud explaining Hogsmeade to Leon. "Usually…I suppose it would, a bit. But with those two…"

"I know what you mean." Professor Sprout laughed.

* * *

**You people make me almost wet myself every time I get a review. I'll buy diapers, and you click on the purple button! **

**Next chapter: The Every Flavor Beans come back with a vengeance, Madam Puddifoot's tea shop is revolting, and an old appendage appears.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five. I think it's my favorite. Longest one by far, so far.**

**This chapter contains: Cursing.**

**And I have to say this--just a few minutes after I posted this for the first time I went on a train to Philadelphia and saw Avenue Q! OMG it is the best musical EVER! It's HILARIOUS! GO SEE IT!**

* * *

"I wish I had Fenrir…" Cloud said sadly. He saw the long dirt road that led to Hogsmeade and sighed. 

"Leon! Cloud!" A voice yelled. They turned and saw Sora, Riku, Kairi and Yuffie rushing towards them.

"We need these papers signed, quick!" Sora yelled hurriedly. "We need our guardian's permission to go to Hogsmeade."

Yuffie chimed, "And that would be you guys."

Leon frowned. "We're your guardians?"

Sora nodded and hopped up and down. "Hurry!" He said.

Cloud held out his hands. "Anyone have a quill?" He asked. Everyone checked their pockets and shook his or her head.

"Um…HERMIONE!" Yuffie shouted.

Hermione stopped scolding Harry and Ron about something and waved.

"Do you have a quill on you?"

Hermione nodded. Yuffie sprinted across the Great Hall and gratefully accepted a long quill from Hermione. She ran back and thrust it into Leon's hands. Cloud held one out, and Leon snatched it. He knelt on the floor (there weren't any other hard surfaces nearby) and lowered the quill to it. Leon preferred pens, but what could you do?

"I just need to give you my permission?" He clarified.

"Yeah. Hurry!" Sora glanced at the kids filing outside. Filch was breathing down everyone's necks.

Leon scribbled, "I, Leon Leonhart give Sora Hikari permission to go to Hogsmeade." He slid it across the floor and Cloud handed him a new one. When he finished the last one, everyone sprinted outside and joined the rest of the Hogsmeade-bound students.

Cloud irritably blew a spike of hair out of his eyes. Leon sighed and said, "So, how do we get to Hogsmeade?"

Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. I _really_ wish I had Fenrir at times like this, though."

"Leonhart! Strife!"

They turned to see a group of teachers beckoning for them. "Come on, we're all going to The Three Broomsticks!" Hagrid bellowed.

"Well, there you go." Cloud muttered.

----------------------

Voldemort and Sephiroth were slowly getting used to each other. It was hard for Sephiroth—Voldemort was mean, Wormtail was disgusting, and Voldemort liked to live in _Argentina,_ of all places. He almost threw in the towel several times—but the thought of seeing the anger and shock on his dear Cloud's face when he appeared to the blond kept him going.

They didn't trust each other—how could they? Voldemort was a twisted, evil wizard who killed tons of people. Sephiroth was a twisted, evil man fused with Mako with nice hair. …Who killed tons of people, too.

Their distrust even went as far as keeping constant lookouts and defenses up. Sephiroth was sneering at the not-so-obvious plant in his room that had a surveillance spell on it when a voice yelled, "SEPHIROTH!"

Said man rolled his eyes and nonchalantly entered the room where his grumpy host was. Voldemort was sitting at his desk, staring at the thing on top of it. He looked up when Sephiroth entered and spoke quietly. "I found _this_," He pointed at it, "Staring at me from the corner of the room. Care to explain it?" His voice was cold.

Sephiroth plucked it off the desk and held it in his arms. "This is a heartless. A shadow." He flicked one of the antenna, and the shadow slumped in Sephiroth's hands in pleasure.

Voldemort studied it. "Why is it in my room?"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Why were you spying on me?"

Both men smirked. "These…heartless…" Voldemort said, folding his long fingers together, "Can only you control them?"

"No."

"Can anyone?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "I can let a few use the power of darkness."

"Can _I_?"

Sephiroth smirked and held a hand over Voldemort's head. He frowned for a moment, and tendrils of darkness crept out over the rest of his body. Sephiroth drew back, and watched as Voldemort's nostrils flared and he opened his eyes.

"Perfect."

---------------------

Cloud followed the group of teachers, but a bit slower. Hogsmeade was so different…it fascinated him. The rest obviously knew where they were going, they strode through the throngs of children towards what Cloud guessed was The Three Broomsticks. Hagrid was giving the "grand tour" of Hogsmeade, which basically consisted of "That's Zonko's…" and a half-hearted wave.

Currently, Hagrid was waving his arm towards a shop to their right. "That's Honeydukes…they sell candy…"

If Cloud was a cat, his ears would have perked up. "They sell candy?" He asked.

The group stopped moving. Hagrid nodded, clearly de-railed from his tour-giving.

"Sorry, but we'll catch up to you later. Come on Leon." Cloud turned on his heel and strode towards Honeydukes. He definitely had a purpose; he almost shoved a third-year who was blocking the doorway. He disappeared inside, and from across the street they could hear giggling and a chorus of "Hi Professor Strife!"

Leon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He gave a two-fingered wave and said, "Later. Sorry." He followed, feeling more than a few stares on his back.

Cloud was happy. He knew he had a sweet tooth—Leon and Aerith sometimes catered to it back in Radiant Garden. But here…he was almost drooling. It was funny, because a good number of students were doing the exact same thing as they watched him lean over a table in the back of the room.

Leon entered the store—he too was met with a giant greeting. He gave a short wave to the general inside of the shop, and spotted Cloud off to the side. He joined the blond, and Cloud said "Look." He pointed at the assortment of cavity-inducing sweets on the table. Leon grunted. Cloud picked up what he deemed was a good one.

"…Blood pops?" Cloud whispered incredulously.

"What?" Leon snatched it out of Cloud's hands. With a snort of disgust he placed it back in the container.

"You know, Vincent would probably like it." Cloud said, mostly to himself.

"Who?" Leon inspected some brightly colored candy.

"He's a friend of mine. From my world." He gave a sad chuckle. "Yuffie and I used to think he was a vampire."

Leon grunted softly and dropped the candy like it was on fire when he realized that they were laxatives.

Cloud noticed something in the front of the store and scurried over there. Leon gave the blood pops a last disdainful glance and followed his companion. Cloud was leaning over the counter, talking to the owner of the store. The woman was giggling a bit, and giving Cloud free samples of chocolate. Leon rolled his eyes.

"…-this one?"

"No…Professor Leonhart doesn't like the color green! Don't you pay attention?"

"Oh. He'll probably drink this, you think?"

"Yeah. Professor Strife too…"

Leon stiffened. Some kids were planning on poisoning him with love potion again, no doubt.

"Leon." Cloud tapped him on the shoulder. "Doris wants me to try a new chocolate. You try it too."

Cloud introduced Leon to Doris. Doris was surprised that they both were the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, and she giggled incessantly.

Cloud popped a chunk of chocolate in his mouth and said, "What is that?"

"…It's our finest milk chocolate filled with succulent marshmallows." Doris chanted, as if she was reading it off of a card in the background. "…Caramel too, I think."

Cloud hummed his approval. Leon bit off a piece and agreed. Doris beamed and put a little in a box for them. She handed it to Cloud and said happily, "On the house!"

Cloud grinned and thanked her. They left Honeydukes, and Cloud paused in the grass outside. "Hang on." He said, and pulled a box out of his pocket.

Leon stared at it and groaned. "Don't tell me…"

"Yep." Cloud had bought another box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "Close your eyes and pick one."

Leon reluctantly closed his eyes and reached a hand inside the little box. He grabbed the first one his fingers touched. He kept it closed in his fist so that neither he nor Cloud could see it. Cloud blindly picked one too.

"On three…" Cloud whispered. "One…two…" Leon tried not to think about the earwax one from last time.

"Three." Cloud shut his eyes, and they both shoved their beans into their mouths. There was an ominous silence—usually the one that comes right before someone gets killed by a psycho with a knife.

Leon fell to his knees, and Cloud followed suit. Leon wished he could die—he spluttered and spit into the grass. "Cloud! I got earwax _again_...!" He felt a tear slide down his cheek as he tried to spit his tongue onto the ground. Cloud was scrabbling at his throat as more than one tear escaped his eyes.

"C-Cinnamon…_again_…" He choked out, and spat violently.

By now a small crowd had gathered. It wasn't every day you got to see two grown men (who were totally hot, in their opinion) almost crying and spitting into the grass.

Leon recovered first, spitting one last time and shakily standing up. Cloud rolled over onto his back and gulped air, looking dazed. Leon's eyes widened in shock. He hauled Cloud to his feet and pointed at Cloud's knees.

"Huh?" Cloud said slowly. He looked down. Green smears covered his pants. Which were Leon's. Damn grass stains…Leon was overly-protective of his clothing, partly because his pants, belts and jacket were _very_ expensive. And he just liked them a lot, and kind of refused to wear anything else during the day.

Cloud avoided Leon's stern gaze and waved his hand in front of his mouth like a fan. "Let's go." He said, and broke through the ring of students who were watching but pretending not to.

"What was…that…place called…again?" Cloud asked. His speech was chopped because he kept gulping air like a fish out of water. Leon would have thought it funny, but the disgusting taste of earwax in his mouth drained him of any sense of humor.

"The Three Broomsticks?" Leon was pretty sure that that was the name of the place.

"That's it…" Cloud spotted the building and hurried towards it. In the doorway, Cloud pulled the Every Flavor Bean box out of his pocket and stared at it. "…I'm done with these. For good." He pulled back his arm and threw it into the Forbidden forest. It flew for a ridiculously long time before disappearing into the trees.

"Nice throw," Leon commented, and pushed the door open. There was a light tinkling noise, and a few occupants (who weren't already) looked up. There was a short silence, and the room burst into continued conversations or hushed giggling.

They walked up to the counter, and the hostess-lady turned around. She smiled at them. "Can I get you handsome men anything? I'm Rosmerta."

Cloud gave her a slight smile and studied a menu that was taped to the counter. "Butterbeer…what's that?"

"Almost everyone 'round here gets Butterbeer. 'Specially the students. It's very good."

Cloud shrugged. "I'll have one, then. Thanks."

"Me too." Leon didn't really feel like searching the whole menu for something to drink. Madam Rosmerta handed them their drinks, and they sat at an empty booth in a corner of the room. Cloud stared at his drink.

"Think it's good?"

Leon shrugged slightly. Cloud set his jaw and took a sip. "Mmm. Try it."

Leon snickered. Cloud blinked. "What?" The blond said, confused. Leon pointed to the other man's face.

"What?" Cloud growled. He was sporting a fantastic mustache of…butterbeer. Leon would've called it a milk mustache, but of course, it wasn't milk. And Cloud couldn't tell it was there.

Leon pointed at Cloud's upper lip. Cloud's eyes widened and he swiped at it. "Good?" He asked. Leon shook his head no, and pointed to the left side of his face. Cloud swiped again.

By this point, Leon was getting annoyed. "Your _other_ left, Cloud." He said slowly. Cloud missed again. With a sigh he picked up a napkin and wiped Cloud's face himself. "Better." Was all he said.

Cloud could feel his face flame. He muttered some curse and something about how he was not two, thank you very much, and quieted.

Leon smirked into his own cup and took a sip. Yep, that was pretty good. With great care, the held out his left arm. Cloud looked alarmed. Leon slowly (but making sure Cloud could see it) wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Which was Cloud's.

It was funny—Cloud always denied it, but was almost as fond of his clothing as Leon was. He made a strangled noise and grabbed a handful of napkins. He began scrubbing at the wet mark on Leon's arm. Ah, payback for grass stains was sweet.

"Excuse me!"

They looked up to see a short man with a bowler hat in his hands staring at them. Cloud released Leon's arm and scowled.

"Can we…help you?" asked Leon.

The man brightened considerably for some reason. "Yes! I noticed that many of the occupants in here are watching you." All three men stared at everyone in The Three Broomsticks. Indeed, many gazes were quickly averted. Cloud's eyes were bigger than an owl's.

"Are you from around here? Celebrities, perhaps?" The man ordered a firewhiskey from Rosmerta.

Leon and Cloud glanced at each other. "No…we're professors at Hogwarts." Leon said slowly.

The man jumped about a foot in the air. "What? _You're_ the…where are my manners? My name is Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic."

"…I'm Cloud Strife."

"Leon."

Fudge started talking about the Ministry, Hogwarts, his somewhat-dislike of Harry and Dumbledore, his favorite drink in The Three Broomsticks… he liked to talk. Leon zoned out, and Cloud miserably tried to pay attention.

---------------------

"Disgusting." Yuffie said dryly. She, Sora, Kairi and Riku were about to enter The Three Broomsticks when they saw what Yuffie dubbed "Gross PDA." Leon cleaned Cloud's face with a napkin.

"Do they realize that they're acting like a married couple?" Sora fiddled with the money in his pocket.

Riku shrugged. "C'mon. Let's go somewhere else."

"Okay! Let's go to Zonko's!" Sora took off running. Riku stood still, thinking. How had this happened?

START FLASHBACK, DUDE!

Riku and Sora were back in Destiny Islands—Riku was leaning against the paupou tree, and Sora was sitting on top if it. They were staring at the ocean—even after their adventures it still held a bit of mystique.

"Sora! Riku!" Kairi burst from the seaside shack and ran across the bridge. Panting, she held out two thick, yellow letters. Sora took his and ripped it open. He studied it for a minute.

Suddenly, he burst out, "We're going to a wizarding school!"

There was a short silence. Finally, Riku said "…What?"

"A wizarding school! Read your letters!"

With more than a little confusion, Riku and Kairi opened their own envelopes and read the topmost piece of parchment. Sora was right; they were being accepted into Hogwarts—a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

END-ETH FLASHBACK-ETH.

Riku tagged along to Diagon Alley—he felt somewhat detached, though. Like is any of this for real, or not? …That was an inside joke. But seriously, after dealing with the darkness in his heart, this seemed kind of…_tame._ Not that he minded a whole lot, though.

He was pleased to know that Leon and Cloud were stuck in Hogwarts too, but as teachers. They didn't seem too happy about it in the beginning, but he could tell that both men were warming up to teaching students, and also warming up to each other. Riku could tell that they were happy together. He argued with Yuffie about how long it would take before one of them confessed their love for the other. He thought it would be soon, Yuffie thought around Christmastime. Kairi didn't really care—she just wanted them to be together in the end. Sora (with his adult side showing) thought that both professors were too pigheaded and blind to realize that they had feelings for each other.

He rather liked Hogwarts, with its changing staircases and talking paintings. The other kids were cool; except for Malfoy, of course. He decided to stick around, and that included going to Hogsmeade with his friends.

-----------------

Cloud felt himself almost nodding off when suddenly Fudge exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot to get Roger!" Fudge bit his lip. He glanced at Cloud, who was sitting across from him, and then at Leon, who was crammed next to the wall beside him. He grinned and said, "Can you two do me a favor?"

Cloud shifted uncomfortably. Fudge took it as a yes. "I need you two to go to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop. Ask for Roger. Tell him I would like to talk to him later." He buttoned up his coat hurriedly. "I'm really sorry about this. I'll put in a good word for you!" He winked, and swept out the door.

They stared stupidly at the door for a few moments. "…Damn." Cloud muttered, and drained the last of his butterbeer. Leon threw a few galleons onto the table and they stepped back into the cool October air.

"So…Madam…Puddifoots…" Leon said the name with obvious pain. "Where is it?"

Cloud surveyed the student-crowded street. He walked up to a group of forth-year girls. He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Uh, can you tell me where Madam…Puddifoot's tea shop is?"

One girl giggled and gave Cloud directions. Cloud thanked the girls and beckoned for Leon to follow him down the street. Cloud spotted a tiny building that Leon never would've noticed otherwise.

The inside of the shop made both men want to run away screaming. It was obviously decorated for Halloween—bright orange streamers hung from the ceiling. The tables were covered in elegant lace doily-things that looked a bit like spiderwebs. But the worst part was how it was so full of…couples. Kids kissing in the corner, a girl making goo-goo eyes at her boyfriend, it made them sick.

A reasonably elderly woman made her way over to them. "Can I help you, dears?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Um, yeah. Fudge wants to talk to Roger."

Madam Puddifoot winked at them. What was with all the winking…? She pointed at a little table crammed in the corner of the shop. "You sit there and have some tea, I'll go tell Roger…he's in the back with that pretty young lady…" She absentmindedly shuffled her feet. "…I have to get something…please stay here for a minute…" She scurried away, leaving Cloud and Leon feeling _incredibly_ awkward.

Leon cleared his throat and propped his gunblade against the wall. He unhappily stuffed himself between the hard chair and the table—his legs were jammed. Cloud put his Buster Sword next to the gunblade. He perched on the edge of the seat and drew his knees up to his chest. He awkwardly propped his elbows on the table, and both men sat in embarrassed silence. Leon's knee was stuck in between Cloud's legs, and there wasn't anything either man could do about it.

Leon cupped his chin in his hands and surveyed the room. A few couples were staring at them, and he _swore_ that a few girls were watching them from across the street. Cloud was examining a faint stain on the floor when black and orange confetti fell onto his head. He should have known—Hermione said that the place was big on confetti.

Leon got some on him too—they both swiped at their eyes and glared at the little flying _thing_ buzzing around their heads. It chuckled and dumped the rest of the confetti it had on Cloud's spiky noggin. The blond rubbed his eyes again and stood up. The table tilted, and their glasses fell to the ground with a deafening crash, and the pitcher of water slid towards Leon. Without thinking, he extended is leg and kicked the poor table into the air. It sailed past Cloud and splinted against the wall.

It was at this moment Madam Puddifoot returned. She gaped at the mess and dropped the camera in her hands. Both men froze, and glanced around the room. Cloud laughed nervously. Even the kids who were kissing in the opposite corner of the room were staring.

Madam Puddifoot's face contorted with rage. "Out. Now." She whispered. Cloud grabbed his Buster Sword and tried to walk out without breaking anything. He wasn't successful. He smashed one of the unbroken cups and winced. Madam Puddifoot twitched visibly.

Once outside, they held it in until they were out of the line of sight of anyone in the shop, and burst out laughing. They were probably the only ones to ever be kicked out of there.

"How long do you think it will take before everyone knows?" Cloud smiled at the ground embarrassedly.

"Knowing the kids in this school," Leon said dryly, "Not long."

A loud scream came from the forest. They stared at each other for a minute, and simultaneously started sprinting towards the source of the noise. They flew past Sora and the gang—Cloud didn't say anything, but he knew that they sensed there was trouble.

They skidded into a clearing. Harry, Ron and Hermione were fighting off a bunch of…Heartless! Cloud swore as he saw Harry blast a shadow to dust. Cloud took the right, Leon took the left, and they quickly slashed their way through the shadows.

Cloud sighed and faced the three Gryffindors. "Are you alright?" He asked. Leon stared off into the woods.

All three nodded, and Riku, Sora, Kairi and Yuffie ran into the clearing. Hermione said shakily, "Were those Heartless?"

Cloud nodded. Sora exclaimed, "There were Heartless?" He balled his hands into fists.

Suddenly, Harry clapped a hand to his forehead. He grunted in pain. Ron and Hermione paled.

"What's wrong?" Sora hurried to Harry's side. Harry straightened.

"I-It's fine. Just…stay alert."

Everyone stared into the darkness of the forest. A voice said slowly, "Nice job, Potter. You finally realized that the pain on your forehead _means_ something." A figure in black stepped from behind a tree.

"Who're you?" Sora yelled.

The person turned their head slightly. "You're the Hikari boy, aren't you? The Dark Lord told me about you."

"The Dark Lord?" Cloud's goal was to get the person to reveal as much information as possible. Sure, he'd much rather cut the man to bits, but he needed information. Hogwarts needed to know the details if someone was threatening them. It was his duty as a Professor. Heh, his duty…

The man raised an arm. "The Dark Lord has been _very_ generous, Cloud Strife. Now that we can use the power of Darkness, a whole new _world_ of doors have opened…"

Harry glared at the man. "He's a Death Eater," He spat. "One of Voldemort's followers."

The man stiffened. "Do not speak the Dark Lord's name! Especially you, Potter!" He stretched his arm higher and whispered, "Witness…the power that the Dark Lord has granted us…"

Darkness pooled around his feet and quickly spread outwards. Heartless emerged from the ground, scrambling and clawing at each other. Balls of Darkness flew through the air, headed straight for Harry. Leon cursed and launched himself at the Death Eater.

Cloud watched Harry clasp a hand to his forehead again and fall to the ground. Ron and Hermione turned (if it was possible) even paler. Ron growled and stabbed a shadow right between the eyes. Not good. Cloud tried to join Leon, but a second figure stepped from the shadows. He spoke with the voice of a rich person. Mean and snooty.

"I believe you are Cloud Strife?" He asked. Cloud glanced at the man, at Leon dodging curses from the first Death Eater, and then at the rest of their group making short work of the Heartless. He nodded slowly. The man whispered something, and all Cloud could feel was excruciating pain.

Cloud was dimly aware of screaming. Was it him? Sounded like it. He focused harder, and felt pain again. It was mostly from underneath his right shoulder blade. He vaguely saw a person in black turn around, but then he saw green and the smell of dirt invaded his nostrils. Then he saw nothing but darkness.

--------------------

…He was warm. Pleasantly so. Cloud groggily moved his head to the side. He was leaning on someone's chest; he could feel a heartbeat. But the position wasn't too good…his eyes fluttered open, and his ears picked up some of the conversation.

"So what do we do?"

"Why is it there?"

"…I don't know."

"You alright, Harry?"

"What's going on?"

"We should go back to Hogwarts…"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Ron."

"Didja see me?"

He groaned. So annoying…

"Cloud! CLOUD!"

Said man forced his eyes open. They were still in the forest—he could see trees. Black fabric was pressed against his face. He turned away from it to see Yuffie's worried face inches from his own. His eyes widened for a second, then he glared.

"He's fine!" Yuffie cheered.

Cloud glanced up to see who was carrying him. Leon looked down and grinned with relief. At a nod from Cloud, Leon put him down and let him stand in the grass. Sora looked extremely worried.

"What happen-" Cloud whipped his head around. He remembered pain under his right shoulder blade—_it was back._ Jutting out of his back was a single leathery wing.

"…What…happened?" Cloud repeated, quieter than last time.

There was a short silence. Then Sora spoke. "Um…we were fighting the Heartless, Leon was fighting the first guy…and then the second guy showed up. He did something weird, Darkness was everywhere, and it got all dark. We heard someone screaming, and when we could see, you were rolling around on the ground. The wing came out, and you passed out…"

Cloud flexed the wing experimentally. Funny, there wasn't any pain…

As if reading his mind, Leon murmured, "I healed you."

"…Thanks." Cloud mumbled. He glanced at the trees. "Where are we now?" The trees looked different from last time.

Yuffie made a face. "It stunk really badly. After you passed out, Harry woke up and helped us with the Heartless. Leon here," She elbowed him, "Went into some sort of _rage_. He cut the first Death Eater in half! And when the second was trying to escape, Leon caught him and smashed him into a tree! It was awesome!"

Cloud gave a tired, amused smile. Leon looked away—his face had a slight pink tinge. "Well, the second got away, so it doesn't matter."

Riku handed Cloud his Buster Sword (It was really more like lugged it to him and thrust it into his hands.)

"We've got to tell Dumbledore. Can everybody walk back?" Leon asked. Everyone nodded.

They exited the forest. Everyone was gone—time at Hogwarts was over. Cloud was confident (and grateful) that no one saw his wing. But he couldn't pretend that absolutely no one saw it—Ron's eyes hadn't left it.

Cloud stopped walking suddenly. Ron crashed into his back. The rest of the group turned around. Cloud leant forward. "Do you want to take a picture?" He asked the red-headed boy.

Ron spluttered out, "N-no! Sorry Professor!"

Cloud shook his head and fell into place beside Leon again. The rest of the walk was mostly silent, everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Upon entering the school, Harry led them through the less-used hallways to the stone statues that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"You get in with a password. Lemon Drop?"

Nothing happened.

"Uh…tangy toffee? Sherbert? Chocolate Frogs? …Cockroach Clusters?"

None worked. Riku raised an eyebrow.

"It's his current favorite candy…Blood pops?" Harry cringed. Luckily, nothing happened. Harry scratched his head.

"Acid pops?" Ron offered. The gargoyle sprang aside. Yuffie made a gagging noise.

Harry knocked on the door. He must've heard an invitation, because he pushed the door open. Dumbledore was obviously having a conversation with one of the paintings on the wall; he was standing next to tons of them. He was a bit surprised to see the wing sticking out of Cloud's back but didn't comment.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir, we have important news. In-"

Leon laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, stopping him. "In the forst behind Hogsmeade, Heartless were attacking Harry, Ron and Hermione. We arrived, and a…" He glanced at Harry for confirmation, "Death Eater came out. There were two. One is dead, the other is wounded. We're fine." He left out the part about Cloud's wing. As far as he could see, the blond _was_ fine. He was alright with the wing before, he'd be fine now.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers. "Death Eaters in Hogsmeade? What were you three doing in the forest?"

"Harry heard a voice calling to him," Ron explained. "It was weird."

Dumbledore frowned. "I will have to tell the necessary people about this. For now, I suggest you visit Madam Pomfrey, I bet she will be displeased…" He smiled fondly.

Back in the hallway, Cloud muttered, "I'm going to change." He strode away. Leon shrugged when he was looked at with questioning eyes and followed his friend.

Cloud was a bit ahead—when Leon was finally able to see Sir Cadogan, Cloud wasn't there. He must be already in the room… He really _was_ fast. He got the knight's attention. "Balamb."

Sir Cadogan scowled. "Why did you have to pick a ridiculous password like that? Blubfeh was much better. And what is troubling your blond companion? He is dreary, that one…"

Leon sighed. "I know. I'm going to talk to him."

Sir Cadogan opened the door, and Leon climbed up the ladder. Cloud was sitting on their "bed", staring at his hands with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked up when Leon walked in.

"Sorry," Cloud whispered.

Leon was taken aback. "For what?"

Cloud chuckled and turned around. A giant rip tore through Leon's jacket where Cloud's wing came out. …His only one.

But Leon surprisingly wasn't mad. It wasn't Cloud's fault he had a giant demonic wing jutting out of his back. He tried something that usually cheered Cloud up, or at least made him stop staring at the floor blankly. Leon didn't like seeing Cloud's face like that. He pinned Cloud between himself and the wall, his hands were on Cloud's shoulders, and his chest touched the wall. Cloud didn't even struggle. He wasn't buying Leon's act. He could tell Leon wasn't really mad.

Cloud mumbled into the wall, "We have to leave."

Leon spun him around and stared into Cloud's eyes. "You know as well as I do that we can't. Just because you get your wing back doesn't mean an-"

Cloud cried, "Shut up! My wing would only appear if _he_ was close by!"

Leon tightened his grip. "There's no way Sephiroth is here. We're in an unknown world in an unknown place."

Cloud looked doubtful. Leon tugged on the blond's hand. "Come on. I need to see what that wing of yours can do."

The wing really was a problem. Leon honestly couldn't figure out what to do. How was cloud supposed to wear anything? If he cut a hole big enough for the base of the wing in Cloud's shirt, it wouldn't accommodate the top. Cloud wouldn't be able to put it on. Frowning, he waved for Cloud to take his shower first. What to do…when Cloud emerged, Leon sighed. This would be awkward…

"Uh…Cloud?"

Cloud was now only wearing black pajama pants. He looked suspicious. Leon sighed and took off his sleeveless turtleneck sweater thing, which was Cloud's. It felt weird to only wear straps, a shoulder covering, and a sleeve on your torso. "Turn around," He commanded.

Cloud did so, albeit warily. Leon examined the wing. Yep, hard to deal with. "Can you…roll your wing up?"

Cloud threw a look over his shoulder. He focused, and somehow scrunched his wing into a near-cylinder shape. But it was still big…

"Is that it?"

Cloud made a face. "I can't do anymore like this. You roll it up. It won't hurt."

Leon hesitated. He had always wanted to touch Cloud's wing (when he still had it) but he never got the guts to ask. He slowly reached out and gently held the black mass. Rough, but not as rough as he expected…he trailed a finger down it experimentally, and Cloud sucked in a breath sharply.

"Sorry." Leon let go quickly.

"Um…it's fine. I bit…the inside of my cheek." Cloud fidgeted.

Leon raised an eyebrow and picked up the shirt. He judged the area of the wing, and carefully (with scissors found in one of the desks) cut out a hole. He grabbed ahold of the wing again and gingerly rolled it up. _How_ was it not hurting? He could _feel_ the cracking of cartilage. It made him feel a tad sick. He slid the shirt over Cloud's head and poked the wing through. Perfect! He let Cloud put his arms through himself—he wasn't completely helpless. Cloud twisted around and grinned.

"Thanks."

Leon yawned. "No problem." He shut the door of the bathroom.

Cloud called, "Give me my clothes back when you're done."

Leon undressed quickly and tossed the clothes (not his underwear, of course) into the main room. He actually enjoyed his shower; he had dirt and grime all over his body. He forgot to bring his clothes in the bathroom earlier, so he wrapped a towel around his waist and entered the other room. Cloud was sitting on the bed again, but during Leon's shower he somehow managed to get his shirt off. He was just in his usual baggy black pants. He ditched the part of his outfit that draped over his left leg, too.

He grinned when Leon left the bathroom and rummaged around in his dresser. Cloud located what he was looking for, and held one of his own white t-shirts out. Leon groaned.

Leon began the process of measuring, rolling and cutting again. Cloud was now fully clothed, but Leon was still only wearing a towel. He was freezing. He grabbed his pants and a new t-shirt and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

The walk to dinner was a quiet, comfortable one. Cloud was a bit nervous. The school was deserted—everyone was at the Halloween feast. His wing twitched a bit. Leon laid a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Relax," He said, and pushed the doors open.

Some students looked up. They eagerly elbowed their neighbors (both men weren't completely in their usual garb) and whispering broke out. That was expected, that happened almost every day. But as they strolled down the walkway to their seats at the big table, Cloud's wing was noticed.

Anyone who wasn't talking to their friends was doing so now. Why did Professor Strife have a wing? And why'd they have to change back into their normal pants?

Cloud unconsciously folded the wing behind his back. Leon noticed this and whispered, "Don't be embarrassed because of your wing."

Cloud barely looked up. Leon pinched the bridge of his nose (It was a habit given to him god-knows-where that didn't help him one bit. The girls thought it was adorable.)

"Cloud." Leon said sharply. The blond looked up with troubled eyes. He couldn't believe he was going to say this…

"You've got to…_show off_, Cloud. _Flaunt_ it. I'm sure someone in here likes your wing, anyway." He gestured to the students, and Cloud watched them. They were happy, ecstatic (and in a few cases, the students were drooling.) His lips twitched, and he broke out in a smile.

They started for the table again, and Cloud's wing slowly extended into the air.

Finally, they sat down. Cloud smiled a bit more at the strips of bacon on the side of his plate that Leon obviously told the House-elves to put there. It was weird how he contacted them so fast…Cloud hadn't let Leon out of his sight once. Oh well. Professor Flitwick started talking to Leon, so Cloud turned to Hagrid.

Hagrid was discretely pouring something into his pumpkin juice. He grinned when he noticed Cloud staring. Cloud rolled his eyes.

"So, Cloud. How'd you get the wing?" Hagrid knew he was on a touchy subject, but his curiosity really just got the best of him.

Cloud sighed. Several of the nearby students (as well as many of the Professors) listened in carefully. He paused briefly and said, "I'm probably not allowed to say."

Everyone visibly deflated. "But," They perked up again, "It was…the Darkness." Cloud let out a shaky breath and fisted his fingers in his hair.

"…I…shouldn't _have_ the wing anymore…I got rid of it…I got rid of _him_…" He dully put a piece of bacon in his mouth and chewed without really tasting it. "…But it's my problem." And he left it at that.

For the rest of the feast, Cloud's eyes got greener and greener. His wing twitched every few seconds, too. After desert disappeared, Dumbledore made a few announcements about Quidditch tryouts, new rules, and increased security at Hogsmeade. When he dismissed everyone, Cloud was the first one out the door. There was an almost tangible dark aura surrounding the man.

"Shit!" Leon hissed. He waved away the scandalized stares and sprinted out of the Great Hall at top speed.

"Pa-the-tic," Yuffie moaned. "I wish they would just skip ahead to making out! What is _wrong_ with them?"

Hermione gave her bit. "I think that neither Professor Leonhart nor Professor Strife think themselves as being gay—they're both confused about their feelings for each other. Of course, it's complicated because neither is very good at expressing emotions; any advances would be taken as more friendship-type things.

There was a long silence. Ron shook his head, muttering, "Women!"

------------------

Leon burst up the ladder. Cloud was standing over his bed, haphazardly throwing garments into his suitcase with a fervor. Leon grabbed Cloud's wrist as the blond rummaged through the dresser for his boxers. Cloud froze, and glanced up.

"Cloud…relax." Leon said uncomfortably.

Cloud's face showed a mix of emotions, and then he settled for glaring. "Don't you understand? My _wing_ is _back_. Don't be stupid and think that Sephiroth's not involved somehow! I'm putting students in danger by staying here!"

Leon grabbed Cloud's shoulders and stared into the blond's eyes. "No, _you_ don't understand." His voice shook with some undefined emotion. "Our _job_ now is to train these kids. They have to be able to defend themselves!" His voice softened. "Besides, everyone looks up to you. You can't leave."

Cloud ground out, "They look up to you too. At the very least, _I_ have to go…"

"Dammit Cloud! Don't you get it?" Leon shook Cloud's shoulders roughly a few times, and then just waved him back and forth gently. "Every time you leave, everyone is affected. You don't realize that."

Cloud glanced at the floor. "No one really cares-"

"We do!" Leon barked fiercely. Cloud stared into Leon's stormy grey eyes in surprise.

"We _do_, _myself_ included. Do you think it would be any different here?"

Leon's eyes widened, and he panted a little bit, still gazing at Cloud. Cloud was lost in thought. Leon actually cared _for_ him, not _about_ him. Somehow, he could tell the difference. He took the hands on his shoulders in his own and gave them a gentle squeeze.

He strode to the door and muttered, "I'll be back." He picked up his Buster Sword and began climbing down the ladder.

Over his shoulder, he could _feel_ Leon smirk. "You have half an hour," The voice said, "Then I'm coming for you."

A ghost of a smile spread over Cloud's face as he gave a two-fingered wave.

----------------------

Cloud didn't really know exactly _where_ he was going; he just needed to walk. He passed some older students in the hallways. No one seemed even remotely fazed by his wing. No, they just drooled and stared at it. It bothered him a bit.

Finally, he stumbled into the Halloween air. Perhaps he'd visit Hagrid…

Cloud sensed a presence to his left. Without thinking, he launched himself towards it. He crashed into a person! Were the invisible?

"Harry?" Cloud asked. Harry was sprawled on the ground next to him. Cloud helped him to his feet and said, "What are you out so late for?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Fancied a walk…"

Cloud nodded and sat on a stone ledge. He stared into the darkness of the lake for a few seconds and said quietly, "See you tomorrow in class."

Harry frowned and paused. Then he sat down next to Cloud. Both males sat in friendly silence for a minute. Harry touched his scar with a finger and said, "You know…We're a lot alike."

Cloud turned his head to stare at the black-haired teen.

"We're both…marked." Harry said slowly, "By evil." He pointed to his scar and jabbed a thumb towards Cloud's wing. Harry sighed and pushed his glasses higher on his nose. "…Sometimes, I think that I'm putting my friends in danger by staying here. Voldemort always seems to find me. Every year. I _know_ something bad is going to happen. But I stay…because they're my friends. I have to protect them." He chuckled, "I stand a better chance alongside my friends, anyway."

Cloud pondered Harry's words as he stared at the sky. "You…sound a lot like Sora." He stood, stretched, and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Thanks."

Harry grinned. "No problem." He pulled the invisibility cloak over his head, and Cloud heard footsteps go back inside and turn down the hallway.

He took the other direction, and strolled down the corridor. He was in a considerably better mood. He didn't even mind that much when Peeves made a crack about his wing. He'd crack Peeves' _neck. _

Some kids were waiting outside of his room. They were obviously arguing with Sir Cadogan. They brightened when he approached.

"Professor Strife!" One girl called. "You weren't feeling well earlier…take my Chocolate Frogs!" She held out a handful. "They make you feel better."

Cloud blinked. "Ah, I couldn't…"

"Sure you can!" She thrust them into his hands. Cloud smiled briefly and looked at Sir Cadogan.

"Balamb." He said quickly. Who really gives a shit if some kids heard the password? No one would dare go in their room, anyway.

"Leon, darling!" Cloud called. "I have returned within the given time limit!"

Leon looked up from his book and grinned. "Barely. And, you got chocolate." He had obviously changed during Cloud's absence—he was only wearing a white t-shirt and some low-slung black boxers.

"Hey!" Cloud exclaimed when Leon took one of his Chocolate frogs. "They're mi-"

But all he felt was blinding pain and his vision faded. The colors blurred and he more _felt_ then saw Leon dropping the Chocolate frogs and lurching towards him. That was it.

-----------------

…He was sitting in a chair. No, he was looking at a chair. The green fabric was peeling.

"_Where am I?"_ He wondered.

As the chair began to turn, he was flooded with panic and fear. He knew it was irrational—he had no reason to be afraid of the person in the chair. But he was.

The face came into view. Slits for nostrils, nasty red eyes…the list went on. This guy was gross. …And fucking _terrifying._

The man's eyes widened a fraction. "So…you are Cloud?" He said quietly.

Cloud tried to nod, but all he did was make a strangled noise.

"I see…"

And suddenly, he saw darkness again.

His legs were burning. Like they were on fire. He tried to lift the legs of his pants, but he couldn't move, couldn't see…

"Cloud!"

"Huh?"

Cloud opened his eyes to see worried grey-blue ones inches from his own. He sat up gingerly. For some reason, his pants were gone.

Leon answered the unspoken question. "You passed out and started screaming something about you legs hurting."

"…Oh…" Cloud stood. He was so, _so_ tired now. What in the world just happened?

"Let's get some sleep, alright?"

"Yeah." Cloud said dully. He padded to the bathroom and brushed his teeth quickly. He returned to the bed, exhausted and jittery. Leon turned off the light, and seemed to sense Cloud's fragile state.

He wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist and buried his face in Cloud's hair. He felt Cloud stiffen momentarily, but then he relaxed. Cloud clung to Leon like a lifeline because right now, he kind of needed it. Leon knew that.

* * *

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews, and special thanks to The Hecateae for helping me with some mistakes from last time. Review again, please!**

**Next chapter: Leon and Cloud have a giant competition, and that's about it. XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six. I couldn't believe it, but this one's longer than chapter five. Twenty-four typed pages. Just to point two things out, I know that parents probably aren't allowed to watch the Quidditch games, but in the movie Malfoy's dad was there, so I put some parents in. Also, not everything is correct from FFVII and SOLDIER, but...whatever. **

**This chapter contains: Cursing and OOC. (This chapter is probably the most OOC of them all, and it's not nearly as bad as it was when I wrote it on paper...)**

* * *

He was abnormally warm. Well, warmer than he usually would be in the morning. Weird. Cloud sleepily blinked his eyes. All he could see was tan… He tilted his head up. He had been previously burying his face in Leon's neck. He was so warm because his friend's arms wound around his back, effectively trapping him next to his body. Cloud felt Leon's breath next to his ear and shivered.

Then he heard concealed giggling and clicking, followed by a dull whirr. He swiveled his neck so fast, he heard it crack. Right at the foot of their "bed" stood three students. …Colin Creevey included.

Cloud hurriedly extracted himself from Leon's arms and burst out of the bed. The students bolted. Cloud made a weird strangled noise and jumped down the ladder.

"Sir Cadogan!" Cloud gasped. "Why the _fuck _did you let kids into my room?"

"They knew the password, blondey." Sir Cadogan wobbled around, and fell onto a discarded whiskey bottle in the grass.

Cloud glared, and took off running. He was up late—the hallways were full of students…all of whom whistled and catcalled. He _was_ only wearing boxers and a t-shirt.

He saw someone sprint into the Great Hall. He skidded around a corner, almost fell (his socks were slippery) and took one of the staircases in one bound. He hit the ground, rolled, dodged a few students, and kept running. Cloud's wing twitched uncontrollably, and his face was flushed from his panic-attack induced running. …Plus embarrassment.

Cloud jumped right over the heads of the students in the doorway. Colin was standing on the Gryffindor table, tying a roll of something to his owl's leg. Cloud's eyes widened. He let out a frustrated yell and ran forward.

Now, half of the Great Hall was clueless. The other half knew that their Professor Strife was running around upstairs for some reason. They pretty much figured out that because of his…_determination_ to get whatever Colin's owl had, Colin must've taken an embarrassing picture of their Professor. Already some kids were digging around in their pockets; planning on pre-ordering whatever it was.

Cloud put one foot on the Ravenclaw table, and jumped with all his might. He sailed upwards. _"Just a bit more…" _Cloud thought. His hand closed around the owl's leg, and he stuffed it into his arms. His wing kept him up…barely.

Colin howled. Cloud grinned at the disappointed students, until…every single owl in the Great Hall swiveled around. He stared at all the beady eyes. Then they attacked.

Tiny claws and sharp beaks ripped into his skin. Cloud tried to bat them away, but then one focused on his wing. It couldn't hold him up for forever, anyway…

As Cloud fell, Colin's owl burst out of his arms and flew away with the other owls. Cloud landed on his feet, but his goddamn socks… He pitched backwards and fell onto his backside. He groaned and his hands flew to his rump.

"Wonder what's going on..." Sora said after Cloud fell.

"Can't you tell? Colin's got blackmail!" Yuffie high-fived Kairi.

Several kids at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables were unashamedly staring as Cloud gripped his butt in pain. He shakily got to his feet, and everyone could see the damage. Cloud dripped blood from various cuts on his body, and a particularly nasty cut leaked from his hairline. He set his sights on Colin. Slowly, he hobbled through the Great Hall with a positively murderous aura surrounding him. Colin paled quicker then Cid does when he finds out that there's no tea.

Cloud bend down, (still bleeding all over the place) and glared right into Colin's eyes. Colin gulped audibly.

The door to the Great Hall opened. A sleepy looking Leon blinked at all the heads that turned his way. He spotted Cloud in his boxers, about to strangle Colin. He raised an eyebrow and strode towards them, unclipping his gunblade as he went.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. As far as he was concerned, it was _Leon's _fault that Colin had blackmail material on them. Leon looked at Cloud questioningly and held the sword in the air. He muttered "Curaga," and Cloud frowned but let the green light engulf him.

Cloud gave Colin a look. A "Don't Think You've Escaped" look. He turned on his socked heel and said sharply, "Come on, Leon."

Leon shrugged at the Gryffindors' questioning looks and said, "What do you need me for?"

Cloud balled his hands into fists. "It's _your_ fault I had to run down here like this."

"…My fault?" Leon shouldered his Gunblade. "And you didn't answer my question."

Cloud sighed. _"Everyone will know I need Leon to help me with this eventually, anyway…" _He jabbed a thumb towards his wing. "Shirt…"

Leon smirked, and decided to follow the slightly limping Cloud to their room.

"Ugh! It's so _obvious_!" Yuffie groaned.

---------------------

During the beginning of his first class, Cloud was a bit worried. More than half the class showed signs of wanting to ask him about his wing. And maybe a bit more—Lavender's fingers twitched uncontrollably every time she looked at it.

He supposed that he could oblige them, but…it was risky. His wing was basically a bunch of unneeded nerves. When someone touched it—it was usually Leon, who was helping him with his shirt—he fought his hardest not to shiver. He didn't want his mini-Cloud to come out and play. Extreme embarrassment and ridicule.

To keep himself busy, he wandered over to Leon. The brunet was instructing Harry personally—he showed a lot of potential. When the other kids complained about it, Leon said that if anyone else drastically improved with their sword fighting, they could work with him too. That shut them up, but made Cloud work twice as hard. He didn't _want_ to teach the whole class minus one student. He paired them, and so decided to bother Leon.

Said man looked up from Harry's now properly-positioned feet and inclined his head slightly.

"Hey…" Cloud stretched languidly, "…I'm bored." After receiving an annoyed glare, he continued. He threw an arm over Leon's shoulders (which Leon tried to shrug off, but Cloud held on tightly) and said, "Let's do something fun."

"…Fun?" Leon glanced at his friend. From what he could tell, Cloud was completely serious.

Cloud nodded. "Something different. Besides—you owe me."

Leon glanced at Harry. The teen was just as confused as he was. He could feel a headache coming on. "What do you mean? I don't owe you anything."

Cloud snorted. "You _do_ owe me. Because of you, Colin…" His voice trailed off, and he tugged on a spike of hair.

Leon was more confused than before. It was somehow _his_ fault Cloud was upset. Cloud needed to explain. "What exactly did Colin do?"

Cloud's eyes widened a fraction and he looked away. "He took a picture."

Leon frowned. "A picture of what?"

The blond muttered something inaudible. Leon caught the words "Arms, sheets, password, hair, and neck," however. It finally clicked—he remembered holding Cloud after his vision-thing the previous night. It was one of the best sleeps he'd ever had…and he _was_ pretty comfortable…

"Wait! Creevey saw…that…and took pictures?"

Cloud nodded miserably. Both men sat in gloomy silence for a moment. Finally, Cloud remembered his previous train of thought.

"So…let's fight, or something."

Leon smirked. He was currently on a bit of a losing streak, but he had a good feeling about today. The very least he could do was push Cloud's buttons a little bit. "I don't see why. We both know that I'm going to win today."

Cloud glared ferociously. "You think you're better than me?"

"No. I _know_ so."

"You…I'll take you on right now," Cloud hissed, "I don't care."

Leon (who was trying (and partially succeeding) to not falter under Cloud's cold gaze and even colder voice) turned to Harry. "What do you think?"

Harry paled. What did he think? He zoned out at "took a picture." He vaguely remembered them arguing about who was the best at something-or-another. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"You can have a contest!" He blurted. All kinds of contests were always being held at Hogwarts—wizarding chess, boomraces, a few hags tried to see who could get closest to the Whomping Willow once…Yep, Hogwarts needed a good one.

"What do you mean?" Cloud looked unsure.

Harry shrugged and said, "I don't know. Whatever you want."

Cloud tapped his chin. Interesting…

--------------------

One week later, during dinner, Cloud was pressured enough to finally make a decision. He and Leon stood next to Dumbledore—the elderly man heard rumours about a possible…_fiasco_ and questioned them about it. Dumbledore explained the rules of Hogwarts competitions to them. Apparently, the kind that interested Cloud usually had three events, and the challenger got to pick one, and the challenged got to pick the other two. Dumbledore looked at Leon and the Blond expectantly, waiting for their events.

Leon thought for a minute and said, "I'll divide the class into two, and set them against each other. We'll each have a team. It will be good for them to get some experience."

Dumbledore nodded and turned his head to look at Cloud. Cloud frowned at Leon. Why did he always have to be so…noble? Letting their challenge to each other help the students… Well, _he_ wasn't going to let Leon know about what he had planned. He could use the element of surprise to his advantage.

Cloud stooped down and whispered something into Dumbledore's ear. Dumbledore smiled faintly. Cloud stood back up, looking smug.

Leon's turn again. He tapped his chin and looked at Cloud. What to pick… He had an idea, it just wasn't very original. "We'll fight to decide the winner." He said it in a monotone.

Dumbledore nodded, and Cloud fumed. So boring…

----------------

In a very short time, the whole school was aware that Leon and Cloud had some kind of competition going on. Was Leon looking forward to it? Kind of. Was Cloud? Definitely. The Blond was convinced he was going to win.

The very next day, their first class (their favorite) piled into the courtyard. Some were eager to begin, and the others were sick to their stomachs. Cloud surprised everyone by giving out Kendo swords. When asked where he got them, he waved his hands and mumbled about "connections."

"Alright, Professor Leonhart gets first pick." Neville was in charge of everything. He was so happy when Cloud asked him, he was close to peeing his pants.

Leon hesitated. It sounded like they were auctioning off livestock. He surveyed the class, and picked Harry. Cloud's first pick was Riku.

Once the teams were picked, Cloud made his team retreat a short distance away. In hushed tones he addressed his team. "You're out when you get hit. Stay fast, and don't try to stay too close to someone for them to land a hit. It's better to attack with a bunch of short blows, rather than risk getting hit. Okay?" Team Cloud cheered and yelled.

On the other side of the courtyard, Leon was thinking. "…Without a doubt, Cloud is telling them to attack quickly. They'll be fast, but…" He lifted Ron's sword and balanced it on his palm. "Here's what we'll do. They think that we're going to charge like bulls and hack at anything we see. Why disappoint them? Everyone, right now, pick one person on the other team."

Team Leon turned and examined the other class. Leon smirked. "Pick one person, and don't let them out of your sight for a minute."

Lavender raised her hand. "What do we do when we get them out?"

"Go for everybody else."

Everyone grinned evilly. The two teams made their way to the center of the field Cloud could see Professors and students peering out of the windows in the school. He waved in the general direction of it, and watched as Neville ran forward and stood in the center of the teams.

He raised an arm and said "Strife and Leonhart event number one…start!" He ran back to his position on Leon's team.

Leon and Cloud took a few steps back and watched the drama unfold before them.

To start, Team Leon must have taken Leon's words to heart. With almost feral grins, they darted forward. Almost immediately, Harry sprinted towards Ron. Seamus tried to hit his leg on the way there—Harry twisted around and smacked Seamus in the shoulder. Lavender tried to get Parvati, but Parvati wasn't a pushover. She got Lavender in the gut.

Team Leon barged through Team Cloud like a wall. Team Cloud fought with short, fleeting attacks—just like Cloud's fighting style. As Harry got rid of his tenth person, Ron, Dean, Malfoy and Goyle focused on him. The tip of Dean's sword grazed Harry's back. He walked off looking a little defeated, but Team Leon cheered for him.

-Twenty minutes later-

There were only four kids left…three on Team Leon, and one left on Team Cloud. Hermione, Sora and Crabbe faced…Malfoy. Malfoy turned around and stared at the rest of his team panting in the grass. Cloud was repeatedly squeezing the air in front of him like it was a throat.

Sora and Hermione staggered towards Malfoy. The Blond boy waved the sword towards Hermione, but she blocked it clumsily. Seeing his chance, Sora lunged forward and whacked Malfoy in the back of the neck.

Screams of happiness and agony rang through the air. Cloud punched the ground and muttered, "Damn."

Sora collapsed onto his back and took big, greedy gulps of air. It was no surprise—he and Riku fought almost the entire time. Sora surprised everyone when he got Riku's arm.

Leon congratulated everyone (mostly everyone) for his or her hard work. He was amazed at how fast the class was improving. He grinned at Cloud's scowl.

---------------

For the rest of the day, Cloud was silent. No doubt he was thinking about the competition. In fact, when they dismissed their last class, Cloud didn't even notice.

Leon ambled over to his friend and said "Uh, Cloud?"

The blond looked up. "Huh…?" He noticed the empty classroom. Cloud got up (still a little confused) and reached for his Buster Sword. They hadn't fought each other the previous day, so they wanted to get on it as soon as possible.

During the walk to the Great Hall, Leon nudged Cloud with his shoulder. "Ready to lose again tomorrow?"

"You won't win again."

"…We'll see."

The two men "bickered" through the first half of dinner, too. It wasn't really…_tense_ between them, they just both wanted to win. On the other side of the table, Snape was in a worse mood than usual. He thought that they wanted attention. Like they needed _more_ attention.

"Minerva!" Professor Sprout hissed. Professor McGonagall looked at her. Professor Sprout whispered, "Who do you think will win? I'm leaning towards Strife."

Professor McGonagall surveyed the two men sitting on the other side of the table. Cloud was watching Hagrid eat his steak with a mix of horror and amusement. Leon was thinking about something—he had one hand fisted in his hair and he chewed his lip thoughtfully.

"…Leonhart." She said.

Professor Sprout almost choked on her food. She swiveled around in his chair and rasped out, "Leonhart!? It's _obvious_ Strife's going to win!"

Professor McGonagall snapped. "Are you _daft_?" She screeched. She pushed back her chair so that she could tower over the shorter woman. Everyone in the room turned his or her head to stare.

"Am _I_ daft? Look at Strife! He's sweet, cute, strong as _anything_, likes to read—"

"Are you kidding? Look at Leonhart! He actually looks tough, unlike the one you're mollycoddling…"

"Take that back!"

"Never! Leonhart shall win!"

"Strife will!"

"Leonha-"

"I think that it would be better if you were to finish this conversation elsewhere," Dumbledore said politely. "A few dinners have been quite disturbed."

Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout froze, and seemed to realize that they were in a crowded room with the subjects of their "conversation", one of which looked _extremely_ awkward. The other clenched his fists.

The two women sat back down sheepishly, but didn't say another kind word to each other for the rest of dinner.

And so began the trend of screaming, fits, sighing and hair pulling that accompanied making up your mind as to which Professor to stand behind. As far as students went, Team Leon picked their "sensei" and Team Cloud picked theirs. Other students bickered and held long debates about it.

After dinner, Cloud and his brunet friend left the school and stood in the cool night air. It was a relief to get outside with Leon…even if he _did_ want to beat him into the ground at the moment.

Leon looked around and frowned. Sticking out above the trees were long poles with circled at the top. Leon frowned again and nudged Cloud with his shoulder. He pointed.

Cloud strained his eyes but couldn't make out anything else. "Why not. Let's check it out." They headed towards the things.

-------------------

"What…?"

Cloud could only describe it as an…arena. For what sport, he had no clue. They stared at the goal posts, and at the stands. To their right, voices could be heard in the changing rooms. Gold and Red clad students burst onto the field. Leon nudged Cloud with his shoulder again and said, "We'd better move."

Cloud nodded, and wondered in his subconscious about all this touching Leon was giving him. If Leon hit his shoulder again he'd scream. They walked to the edge of the field to find out exactly what it was they were doing. They were clustered around a box that shook violently. Two people were trying (and failing) to keep it still. The first one to notice them was obviously the captain—he had a gold tag on the front of his robes.

"Can I help yo- Oh! Professor Leonhart, Professor Strife!" The boy looked intimidated a bit.

They saw Harry trying to help the two people with the shaking box. They turned out to be the Weasley twins. "What are you doing?" Cloud asked the group as a whole.

"Quidditch, Professor!" The captain exclaimed. He sounded a bit shocked. "Oh! I'm Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Wood hadn't met them personally yet—he wasn't taking Defense Against the Dark Arts in his final year.

"…Quidditch?" Leon asked.

"It's a wizarding sport!" Wood almost yelled.

Fred grunted, "Bloody dangerous, but lots of fun."

Wood prepared himself for a Leong speech. "In 1317, Walkin the Wobbly made the first-"

"Er, Oliver? I'll explain." Harry grinned. Wood frowned, but allowed Harry to speak. "There's four balls: the Quaffe, two Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch. Chasers try to get the Quaffle through the hoops. Beaters hit the Bludgers towards the other team. The keeper guards the goal posts, and the Seeker tries to catch the Snitch. The game's over when the Snitch is caught."

"Harry's one of the best seekers _I've_ ever seen!" Wood chimed.

"…Okay…what's that?" Cloud pointed at the quivering box on the ground.

George wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "Bludger. Unused, packs nearly four times the punch as a normal bludger." He grinned suddenly. "Anyone want to see?"

Cloud bent down, and Leon peered over the bLeond's shoulder. "Let me see."

George blinked. He carefully opened the box, showing two black balls almost breaking out of their leather harnesses. He peeled the strap off the first one, and _BAM!_ Before Cloud could move, the bludger lodged itself in his gut. Almost comically, Cloud let out a startled yelp as the Bludger slammed into his stomach. It lifted him off his feet and carried him into the middle of the Quidditch field.

Leon burst out laughing. The students looked afraid to laugh, like they'd get in trouble if the did. From the middle of the field, they heard the telltale clanging of metal on metal.

"…That's a really good Bludger." George remarked.

"Um…is Professor Strife going go be okay?" Katie Bell worried.

Leon said calmly, "He'll be fine." And at that moment, they heard Cloud cry out in the darkness and the Bludger crashed into the ground at their feet. He casually walked back to them and clipped his Buster Sword onto his back.

Fred and George leapt on top of the metal ball and with a lot of grunting and cursing, managed to get it in. Wood beamed and said, "You should watch the game on Saturday. Us verses Slytherin!"

"…The final day of your competition will be on Saturday, right?" Harry asked. Cloud nodded. "So, you should do the final event before the game starts! Everyone will be able to watch."

"Um…" Cloud looked doubtful, but he was thinking.

"Think about it, Professors. For now, watch us practice!" Wood ran onto the field clutching his broom, and the Gryffindor team followed with cheers and hoots.

-----------------

_Ugh._ Cloud was getting sick of this. Ever since Colin Creevey snuck into their room and taken pictures of him spooned against Leon like a teddy bear, he had been trying to distance himself from the brunet. He crammed himself against the side of the bed and tried to ignore the memory of how warm and safe he felt. It was getting hard to fight the warmth that Leon radiated like an oven. …He was pretty cold…he could easily scoot a few inches to the left and feel the heat but not touch the man…

Cloud held his breath and shifted closer to Leon. He immediately felt sleepy—Leon's body heat did that to him. He let his head collapse onto the pillow. He could feel himself slipping asleep when he felt strong arms wrap themselves around his waist.

Cloud's eyes shot open and he glanced at Leon. The brunet must have sensed that Cloud was cold in his sleep and fixed that by letting his hot breath tickle the back of Cloud's neck. It was a bit awkward, as they were both men, but Cloud didn't really care. He was _cold_, dammit. He unconsciously wiggled himself a bit closer and sighed contentedly.

-----------------

For once, Leon woke first. He blinked his eyes sleepily. He was so comfortable…He hadn't had a better sleep since that morning when Colin took pictures of him with Cloud. He hadn't felt this warm, either…

Startled, he looked to the side. Nestled in his arms lay Cloud, breathing deeply. Every time Leon breathed out, the spikes that covered the Blond's neck shifted slightly. Cloud's head was tilted down, exposing his neck more. Leon smirked a bit. It seemed Cloud liked that. He stayed still for a minute, then untangled himself carefully.

He was surprised (and secretly glad) that he and Cloud were good enough friends that they didn't mind sharing body heat like that. The thought sent shivers down his spine. But good shivers. Only people who were really close didn't mind that sort of thing, and he wondered how he and Cloud made the list. They were friends, yeah, but…they were used to solitude. It wasn't everyday that two swordsmen like them even got comfortable enough with each other to tease and playfully mock each other like they did. Hmph…

---------------------

During their morning free period, Cloud disappeared. Where to, it was anyone's guess. Leon sat by himself in their office, worrying about what was to happen later that day. To distract himself, he decided to wander about the school for a bit.

First, he decided to visit Hagrid. The air was cooling—and it should be, in November. The half-giant had a group of first years trying to force food pellets down the throats of odd-looking worms. He waved to them, and Hagrid bellowed, "Professor Leonhart! Can I help yeh with anything?"

Leon shook his head and watched a first year get so nervous that he was being watched by him, he squeezed the worm-tube so hard, goo came out the bottom. Hagrid frowned. "Chris, you gotta be more _careful_." He picked up another and gently stroked its back.

"S-Sorry Hagrid!" The boy squeaked.

Leon smiled fondly and examined a few other students. A girl exclaimed her steadfast belief that he was going to beat Professor Strife. Leon chuckled and said, "I'm _going_ to win." The girl almost fainted.

Once back in the school, he wandered around a bit more. He was actually glad to be himself for once; a large part of Hogwarts was still unknown to him. It was easy to get to the Great Hall and to the classroom, but you didn't get to see much. It was kind of a shame.

In one long hallway, he was thinking about how to beat Cloud in the upcoming events when a door appeared out of nowhere. He blinked at it. Where the heck had it come from? Trying not to think about the foolishness of going into a mysterious room in a magical castle, he went in.

In the center of the room stood a dummy with a familiar head of bLeond spikes on its head. Scattered about were cushions, shields…a _mace_? Curiously, Leon strode over to a large bookcase on the opposite side of the room. When he saw the name of one of the books, he froze. "How to Defeat a Buster Sword Wielder?" "Blonds: How to Outwit Them?" "Cloud Strife: A Man of Few Words?"

What? The? Fuck?

He pulled out the "Cloud Strife: A Man of Few Words" and opened it. It showed a younger-looking Cloud smiling at a dark-haired man. He seemed happy—happier than Leon had seen him, ever. The caption read "Cadet Strife and Zack Fair."

Zack…he didn't recognize the name. He flipped it to another page and recoiled. On the page was a picture…of a very naked Cloud. There were snippets of information saying "Slower on this side" and "ticklish here." There was an arrow pointing to a spot above Cloud's collarbone.

The information was useful, and would probably help him later (he doubted the bit about Cloud's ticklish neck, however) but he couldn't look at Cloud naked in a book. It just felt wrong. He couldn't, regardless of Cloud's extremely slender waist, and delicate frame…

Leon shut the book quickly and left the room. Bad thoughts…Bad thoughts…they scared him. Not only was he staring at his friend's naked body, he was finding…his friend…kind of…maybe…a little bit…maybe a _teensy _bit…….._attractive._ ...His friend was _male_. He growled and pulled at his hair.

If he had been paying attention, he wouldn't have crashed into the same person he was trying not to think about. Cloud turned a corner just as he did, and they both went flying backwards onto their butts. Leon got up quickly.

"C-Cloud?"

The blond was trying to hide something behind his back. Leon tried to peer past him, but Cloud shifted so he couldn't see. "What are you hiding?" He was getting frustrated.

Cloud didn't answer, he tried to shuffle away down the opposite hallway. Leon growled and wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist. Cloud jumped as he did so, and tried to elbow Leon in the face. Leon grunted, and lifted Cloud into the air. Sitting on the ground in a crumbly heap sat…something. With strawberry filling, by the looks of it.

Cloud swore. Leon doubled over—Cloud dug his heel into his gut. Cloud sadly scooped the mess into his hands and hid it in the first suit of armor he saw. Leon smiled at this—Cloud used their little trashcan faithfully…Just not all the time now. If he didn't want to share his food, he could have just said so…

----------------

_Honestly._ What in the world was Cloud thinking when he chose this as an event? He stared at the Whomping Willow sadly.

"Cheer up." Cloud patted his shoulder.

Neville ran out of the crowd of spectators and grinned. "Thanks for letting me start another event, Professors!"

"Sure." Cloud clapped Neville on the back and walked away to stand opposite Leon on the other side of the Whomping Willow.

"The challenge today is who can stay in the Whomping Willow the longest!" Neville shouted. Cloud's rules were that their swords had to stay in the grass, so Leon felt kind of…naked and exposed. At any rate, so was Cloud, so he didn't have an advantage or disadvantage.

Neville quieted the crowd and yelled, "Event number two, start!"

They leapt into the tree. For a few seconds, it was calm, and then all hell broke loose. Branches thicker than barrels hurtled towards Leon's face. He ducked, and kept leaping from branch to branch. Cloud was kind of cheating. (In Leon's opinion.) He used his wing to hover in the air for a few seconds every now and then. Leon glared as he evaded wood and super-sharp sticks.

On the ground, people were making bets on who would win. "It's obviously Professor Strife," One boy began, "He can use his wing."

"Are you kidding? Professor Leonhart is jumping higher." The boy's friend said angrily.

"So?"

"Shut up, you…!"

…And so on and so forth.

After what felt like hours (but was really more like twenty minutes) They were tiring.

Leon leapt from a branch at the top of the tree to a thicker one towards the bottom. To his left, something was headed for his face…! He jumped up, and spun himself so he landed neatly on an _extremely_ thin branch. It seemed to hold his weight, so he spared a second or two to look at Cloud. …And that was his undoing. The branch he was on wiggled, and shot itself between his legs.

Leon's eyes popped out of his head. Everyone on the ground "oohed", and Leon fell to the ground with a bang as he clutched his unmentionables.

Cloud jumped into the grass, not believing his eyes. "…Leon?" He placed his hand on the man's back and shook it lightly. Leon was curled in the fetal position.

Sora laughed so hard, tears ran down his face.

"S-shut up, Sora…" Leon squeaked in a very high-pitched voice. Tied…

Cloud shook him harder, and Leon got to his feet shakily. He winced when he took a step, but he didn't really care. He had to admit it…He _really_ wanted to win now.

--------------------

This morning, Cloud woke up first. Saturday… But once again, here he was, snug in Leon's arms. Did they migrate like whales in their sleep? Did whales even migrate? Cloud didn't dwell on it. He allowed himself a few more minutes of lying in warm, cozy bliss before he realized what he was doing. He was _enjoying_ Leon's embrace.

Feeling off-center, Cloud quietly got out of bed and stumbled into the shower. He welcomed the warm spray, and wondered why Leon hated talking showers in the morning so much. Once out, he made a decision. No matter what, he was _not_ going to lose this!

They were tied—whoever won today would be in complete control of the other for a whole day. That was the prize they decided upon.

_When_ he won, Cloud would have Leon do something so embarrassing, he'd never live it down. Why? Because he didn't doubt for a second that Leon was thinking about all the things he could make Cloud do. It may have seemed juvenile, but both admitted that it would be fun to put the other through all kinds of embarrassing hell. It was just to bad the brunet wouldn't win.

-------------------

That morning, during breakfast, everyone was excited about the Quidditch match. At the Gryffindor table, Harry looked nervous, but much more relaxed than some of the other players.

Dumbledore got to his feet, and it quieted down. "Good luck to the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams, and I'm pleased to announce that due to the…persuasion of certain individuals, before our match will start, Professor Leonhart and Professor Strife will entertain us with the finale of their competition."

"In front of all those people?" Cloud whispered. Leon shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. You're the one who has to worry. Losing in front of all those people."

Cloud snorted. "Yeah. Right."

----------------

After breakfast, the screaming student body made their way to the Quidditch arena. Leon and Cloud left a bit before the students, as to get familiar with the terrain and all that. Actually, the volume in the Great Hall was getting annoying.

There were people milling around—Cloud guessed they were the parents of the players. They must have been informed about the pre-game fight because lots of heads turned their way.

"Should we introduce ourselves?" Cloud whispered.

Leon looked around. "Um…hey. Someone's waving at us."

A tall man with pale blond hair was calling them over. As they approached, the man held out a hand.

"Lucius Malfoy. It's a pleasure."

"…I'm Cloud, that's Leon." Cloud shook the man's hand.

"You two are Professors, no?"

"…Yes…" Leon had no clue where this was going.

"My son, Draco, says that some of your teaching methods are…less than desirable. Will this be a problem?"

If Malfoy thought that he could scare them, he was sadly mistaken. "Draco is the only one who complains," Leon said in a bored voice, "We think that our "methods" are quite effective."

"So yes, it _will_ be a problem." Cloud said as he absently fiddled with a spike of his hair.

Lucius smiled evilly. "Well then, it would be wise to kno-" He trailed off and sneered at a point over their shoulders. A plump woman was leading a man into the stands.

"Weasleys." Malfoy said coldly. "I advise you to stay away from those blood traitors, although…" He disdainfully looked at both of them down his nose, "I can't say that you're any better." With that, he turned on his heel and strode away. He moved stiffly, as if he had recently broken a few ribs that hadn't set properly.

There was a short silence, and Cloud said "Weasleys? Should we say hello?"

Leon nodded. If Cloud was going to say "Should we say hello" to everyone they saw, they might as well get it over with.

Mrs. Weasley was chatting with Mr. Weasley next to the red and gold section of seats when she noticed Cloud and Leon walking towards them. She reddened considerably and nudged Mr. Weasley.

"You're the Weasleys, right?" Cloud asked pleasantly.

Mrs. Weasley was polite enough to not stare at Cloud's wing, but Mr. Weasley was fascinated. Instead, she drank in their faces and said, "Yes! Are you the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors Ginny's told me so much about?"

Leon grinned. Something about the Weasleys was calming. The seemed really friendly. "I'm Leon, that's Cloud." He pointed at the bLeond. "We came to tell you about everyone's progress. Ginny's doing really well—she really knows the basics of swordfighting."

"That's our Ginny!" Mr. Weasley said, proud.

"Ron's improved a lot, and Fred and George—although they goof around a lot—can hold their own if they had to." Cloud smiled.

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "If you don't mind, how's Harry and Hermione? They're like children to us…"

"Harry's got special tutoring with Leon—that's a good thing," Cloud said quickly, "And Hermione's really good, too."

Mr. Weasley was almost jumping. "I can tell that you've lived among muggles. Did muggles make your swords?"

Cloud blinked. "Muggles are…non-magical people, right?"

Mr. Weasley nodded.

"I wouldn't know."

Leon glanced at his Gunblade. "He wasn't a wizard, but he could use magic."

Mr. Weasley looked a bit confused, but he didn't say anything.

"Where are you from, dears?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She called them _"dears." _Leon eyed the students who were beginning to pile into the arena. "I came here from Radiant Garden. It's not where I grew up, though."

"Me too." Cloud said offhandedly.

"PROFESSOR STRIFE AND PROFESSOR LEONHART, TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ARENA, PLEASE!"

Cloud looked around. "Who said that?"

"Lee Jordan. He always commentates. Good luck, both of you!" Mrs. Weasley waved, and hurried to her seat.

They walked slowly to the center of the Quidditch field. To their right, one of the parents exclaimed to her husband, "They're _perfect_ for our broom shoot next month!"

Neither man wanted to think about themselves modeling broomsticks, or anything for that matter.

Madam Hooch ran onto the field. "Alright, Professors. No chopping off limbs, now."

"Hm. Cloud wouldn't be able to stuff himself with bacon if I did, and we can't have that. No worries." Leon calmly pulled out his Gunblade.

"Hah. I need Leon around, so don't worry, either."

Madam Hooch grinned. "First one to admit defeat, rendered unable to fight, or pinned for more than five counts loses."

"Alright." Cloud threw his leather sword holder into the grass.

"FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T NOW, PROFESSORS STRIFE AND LEONHART'S FIGHT TODAY DETERMINES WHO IS THE OTHER'S SLAVE FOR A WHOLE DAY! GIVE 'EM A HAND!" The students clapped and cheered.

"Alright, on my whistle…" Madam Hooch blew it and ran backwards.

Simultaneously, Leon and Cloud launched themselves forward. They swung their swords so fast, it was hard to see.

"Who's gonna win?" Ron asked Hermione in the stands.

"No clue…"

Leon was a bit worried. Scratch that, a _lot_ worried. The past week, he lost _every single one_ of their afternoon training sessions. Cloud discovered his weakness—if he stepped back on his left foot and had to block on his left side, it took him a second longer to bring his gunblade around to guard his right side.

He was currently on the offensive, so he didn't have to worry about it so much. But it stayed in the back of his mind like a persistent nagging. Like Yuffie.

Cloud threw his weight to the side and slashed at Leon's side. Oh no. Leon grunted. Cloud grinned evilly. He _had_ Leon now…there! Cloud saw Leon's left foot go down, and slashed at Leon's left side. Now for the right…

But Leon was expecting it. When Cloud aimed for his right side, Leon let his legs crumble. He felt blinding pain in his right shoulder, but planted his hurt arm on the grass and kicked Cloud's legs out from underneath him. He jumped backwards to survey the damage. A Leong gash ran across his right shoulder—blood stained his t-shirt and was starting to drip down his arm. He could hear the gasps from the crowd.

"…Almost chopped off a limb, Cloud." He said casually

Cloud got to his feet. "My bad."

Leon held out the gunblade. "Curaga…" He murmured, and felt his skin meld and the blood dry. He peeled off his bloody shirt and placed griever in the grass next to Cloud's leather sword harness.

"Ready?" Cloud asked in mock annoyance.

"Ready." Leon frowned, and let his magic flow through the Gunblade. It grew, and glowed.

"Oooh"-ing came from the crowd.

Lee Jordan yelled, "WHAT'S THIS? PROFESSOR LEONHART'S GUNBLADE CHANGED! I REALLY DO HAVE TO GET MYSELF ONE OF THOSE…"

Cloud figured that if he was serious enough to mutilate Leon's shoulder like that, Leon was serious enough to use _that. _It was only fair.

They flew together again, both men grinning like maniacs.

--

"What makes them so happy about fighting?" Ron wondered.

"It's a fighting thing," Sora said. "Remember the first event? Everyone was happy."

"You're right. That's cool, I guess."

--

Leon was feeling confident. That wasn't good. When you were confident, you neglected your priorities. …Namely keeping your neck the hell _away_ from the point of a sword. And he knew it. So when Cloud turned unexpectedly and nearly knocked his Gunblade out if his hands, Leon knew he was screwed.

Cloud jumped forwards. His balance was off, Cloud would kill him...He was a foot away… Then Leon remembered the book he saw in the Room of Requirement. _Ticklish…_

Leon reached out a hand and stuck two fingers above Cloud's collarbone. Cloud jerked his arms upward…and punched Leon in the face.

He stared at his fist confusedly. "Th-that was _dirty." _He said, angry. He flung his Buster Sword to the side and dove forward, fully prepared to punch Leon's lights out.

Leon rubbed his cheek and looked up to see Cloud's fist headed for his face again. He rolled to the side and kicked the blond in the side. They rolled around on the ground, punching and kicking and biting…

--

"They're like children." Riku remarked.

"Um…why are they laughing?" Harry heard it again. Yep, Professor Strife definitely laughed, even through the just had a fist driven into his gut.

"…No idea…they're weird." Neville looked confused.

"…AND NOW IT'S A FISTFIGHT!" Lee Jordan sounded just as confused as Neville.

Sora said with sudden wisdom, "They're just happy to fight all-out against each other."

"Huh…"

--

Leon neatly punched Cloud in the temple, when Cloud pounced. He grabbed Leon's wrists and pinned him. Leon's eyes widened, and he began to struggle.

"One! Two! Three!" Madam Hooch yelled. "Four!"

Leon headbutted Cloud, and sprang away. Out of nowhere came Cloud's knee…and Leon shut his eyes so he wouldn't cry out. He fell to the ground, holding his unmentionables…_again._ He probably wouldn't be able to have children if this kept up.

Leon moaned into the dirt, and Cloud held his aching cranium. Taunts and yells of sympathy came from the stands.

Cloud recovered first—he was _going_ to kick Leon in the side, but the brunet's hands shot out and caught his shin. Leon flipped Cloud over, and he let out an "oof" as his face became friendly with the ground. Lee Jordan yelled, "THAT'S GOING TO HURT IN THE MORNING!"

Leon took his chance. Cloud was on his stomach…Carefully, as not to smash Cloud's wing, (See? He's a gentleman even in a fistfight) Leon held Cloud's arms behind his back and dug his knees on either side of Cloud's thighs.

"One! Two!" Cloud's wing went haywire, trying to slap Leon across the face. Leon growled and smashed his forehead against the back of Cloud's skull, forcing him down.

"Three! Four!" Cloud screamed some obscenity and bucked like a horse. Leon grit his teeth and with all his strength, held Cloud down until Madam Hooch yelled, "Five!"

"AND THE WINNER IS PROFESSOR LEONHART!"

Screams of joy and disappointment rang through the air. Leon slumped forward and fell onto the grass beside Cloud. "That felt good…" He mumbled.

Cloud stood up gingerly. He was _very_ upset that he would be Leon's indentured slave the next day, but he couldn't help a giant grin from spreading over his face. "Yeah. It did."

He nudged Leon with his foot, and the brunet rolled over. Cloud held out a hand, and Leon took it, grinning.

"Stupid male bonding…" Yuffie muttered.

---------------------

"Morning, Cloud." A voice said sweetly.

Cloud rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. This was _not_ going to be a good day… Cloud felt a hand hit the top of the pillow.

"None of that. Get up."

"No…" Cloud mumbled.

"You obey me today. _Get up._"

Cloud groaned and got out of bed. Leon smiled at him, and held up a leather collar.

"W-What the fuck is that?" Cloud took several steps backwards.

Leon showed it to him. It was a black leather collar with a little Griever imprinted in the corner. "Put it on."

Cloud miserably fastened it around his neck, and steeled himself for a very, _very _bad day.

----------------

At breakfast, Yuffie said that Cloud's "necklace" made Cloud seem like a sex slave. Cloud frantically ripped it off, but Leon made him put it back on.

"What are you going to make him do?" Sora whispered once Leon sent Cloud to fetch something-or-another.

Leon grinned evilly. "You'll see tonight."

----------------

For the rest of the day, Leon kept it light. The worst he had to do was run from one classroom to another, doing Leon's errands, and giving his shoulders a massage. Naturally, Cloud was suspicious. If _he_ had won, he would have Leon singing Christmas carols on his head in a diaper by now.

That's why, when dinner rolled around, Cloud fidgeted nervously in his seat. The students eagerly awaited what they knew was coming.

Leon was talking to Dumbledore—that made Cloud break out in a cold sweat. This was _bad_. Leon nodded to Dumbledore, and turned to Cloud.

"Ready, Cloud?"

"I-uh, for what?"

"Just wait." Leon sat down in his seat and wouldn't say anything else.

More kids piled into the Great Hall, ready for diner. Dumbledore quieted the crowd and said, "For your…enjoyment…we have Professor Leonhart supplying us with entertainment. Thank you!" He sat back down in his seat, and food appeared on everyone's plates. Nobody really touched it, though.

"Okay, Cloud." Leon pulled out a weird looking contraption and placed it on Cloud's head. Cloud flinched. Wait…they were headphones. Would he have to sing?

Leon nestled it between Cloud's spikes and leant forward. "Cloud…" He breathed. "You have to _dance_."

Cloud froze. Damn that Leon. He remembered…

START FLASHBACK

Aerith placed a basket of bread on the table and looked around. Leon, Cid, Yuffie and Tifa sat at the table, three of the four chatted animatedly.

"Where's Cloud?" She asked.

Yuffie looked around the room and checked under the table. "I don't know. He always comes for dinner! Maybe he's dead!" She gasped in horror.

"I don't think he's dead. Leon, will you get him for us?"

Leon frowned. "Why me?"

"You're the big brave leader of the Restoration committee!" Yuffie chirped. "He listens to you!"

Leon shook his head, but got up from the table anyway. Cloud wasn't in the marketplace, the bailey, the Ravine Trail, or Ansem's lab. Leon figured that he stupid blond fell asleep in the Great Maw or something.

Leon strolled down the Ravine Trail again, keeping an eye out for his friend. Leon poked his head into the Great Maw, but still no Cloud. He frowned, and continued onwards. He heard light footsteps, and quietly slunk around the wall. Cloud was in the Dark Depths…doing something that Leon could only describe as _dancing._

Cloud waved his arms a few times, breathing deeply and expending his legs. (Was that a kick?)

Leon cleared his throat. Cloud opened his eyes and turned his head. He froze.

"Nice dancing." Leon called.

Cloud bristled and pulled his Buster Sword out of the ground. He walked past Leon and muttered, "I wasn't dancing."

Leon wasn't going to let this die. "Then what do you call it?" He asked as they strolled back up the Ravine Trail.

"It's a Routine I learned in SOLDIER. It increases flexibility and develops your muscles."

"Still seems like dancing to me."

Cloud glared and his face heated up. "Just shut up…" He grinned at the ground.

END FLASHBACK

"It's _not_ dancing. What's the headphones for?" Cloud glanced at the kids who were trying to piece together what was going on.

"_I_ know it isn't. But everyone else will think it's dancing." Leon said smugly. He turned Cloud around and pushed him forward.

With a sense of impending doom, Cloud trudged to the center of the Great Hall. The stupid headphones blocked out some of the sound…._Dammit._

Cloud sighed and closed his eyes. He never _could_ do this with his eyes open. He counted backwards from five, and began to move.

The point of SOLDIER's yoga-like…thing…was to get their cadets to stretch. Because Cloud was small and skinny back then, he was forced to do it much more often than the other cadets. It was practically imprinted into his mind.

He had it down pat. The first section dealt with stretching your back. Lots of graceful turns and twists. He could feel his back pop into place in places.

He flew through hamstrings, calves, and glutes. _That _had a lot of fancy footwork. Now came his personal favorite part—arms.

--

"What's…he doing?"

"Dancing?"

"…I'm not sure. Looks like he's fighting invisible people."

"Definitely dancing."

"Nah."

"Yeah."

"Nah."

"Yea-"

Riku clapped his hands over Sora and Yuffie's mouthes. "Shut up, both of you. Just watch."

--

Cloud sashayed from side to side and flung himself backwards onto his hands. He breathed out and pushed. In the air he twisted and moved his hands like he was pushing something out of his body. He flicked his hair out of his eyes and spun on one foot, bringing his other hand to glide across the ground.

The students were entranced. Cloud moved so gracefully, some wondered how you could wave your arms like you were hacking someone's head off and do it nearly as well as Cloud managed to. Most had realized that Cloud wasn't dancing—but it still felt a bit like it.

Cloud landed on the ground lightly and finally opened his eyes. He got a faraway look, like he was remembering things that were almost in a past-life.

Everyone started clapping, and Cloud bowed his head embarrassedly. He pulled the headphones off of his head and gave them to Leon. He sat down and started gorging himself on his now partially-cold dinner.

Leon bent down and whispered, "Nice job."

Cloud frowned. "Why'd you make me do it?"

Leon seemed genuinely confused. "…I—you're good at it. …And you never let me see the whole thing…"

Cloud smiled faintly and shook his head. Leon absently toyed with his fork. Why _had_ he made Cloud do his…SOLDIER…thing? He'd have to wait until the answer came to him.

* * *

**Next chapter: Christmas is here, Colin gives out his "present" and love is in the air... (oooh, that's so cheesy!) XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven. It's another long one! Chapter eight and nine aren't quite as long.**

**It's pretty much official now. This is set in the fifth year. There's still a few out-of-order things, (like Mr. Weasley getting bit by Nagani. That would have had to happened this chapter) but generally...yeah. **

* * *

There was complete silence. At the front of the semi-lit room, two men stared at their class with their arms folded and prepared to (if need be) go to _war_ over what they just said. A bead of sweat slid down one's neck, and he let it drip down past his chin to disappear under his collarbone. The other looked up, away from the students, but on the inside, he was bracing himself.

"…What?" Someone said.

Leon sighed and placed a hand on the desk in the front of the room. "I _said_ we're giving you a _test_."

Rather then the shocked silence that fell over the class last time, they started yelling.

"We can't have a test!"

"The last day's _tomorrow!"_

"I think it's about time we had a test."

"Are you serious?"

"Quiet, Hermione."

"Please! No!"

"Shut up, all of you," Cloud said quietly. There was instant silence. "We got in a bit of trouble because we haven't given you any grades yet. So deal with it."

The class groaned. "Cheer up. The test will be fun." Leon said airily.

"_For us." _He added silently.

The class was wary. This was coming from the men who laughed as they got punched in the face. "Fun" could be all sorts of things, none of which were pleasant.

Once outside, Cloud told them to stand close together in a group. Leon addressed them all. "Cloud and I are going to test your skills so far. You have five minutes to hide. Then we're coming after you. If we catch you within ten minutes, you fail." He glanced at Cloud. "Sound about right?"

"Yeah." Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out two long strips of fabric. "We'll be blindfolded and will have one hand tied behind our backs. Sound fair?"

The class looked wary, but a few nodded.

"Alright then. Start!" Leon yelled, and watched amusedly as the students ran away like hellfire was chasing them. And perhaps it was, in a way.

Cloud grinned and threw the blindfold over Leon's eyes. After tying it securely, he pulled out a piece of string. There was something…exciting about tying Leon's arm behind his back. Cloud realized he was grinning like an idiot and steeled his face into a mask of indifference again. He gave the string a particularly hard jerk, and Leon arched his back.

"Ow, Cloud." Leon flexed his trapped arm. "It's like you're trying to cut off the circulation."

"Oh. Sorry." Cloud relaxed the string and tied one final knot. They awkwardly managed to get Cloud's arm somewhat tied; it was hard when one man was blind and could only use one arm.

The point of their test was not "run away fast enough," but "be quiet and stealthy enough so they can't hear you." And judging by the herd of elephants that must be running around, according to their heightened hearing, almost everyone was going to fail.

---------------

It was astounding, really. Seventeen students failed. Slightly more than half. Leon was expressing his disbelief tat over half the class managed to be find by two blindfolded and handicapped men.

"So," Leon was saying, "When you get back from your vacation, we're studying stealth and most of all, _how to be quiet._"

Not everyone understood why. "Don't we want to charge in and take them out with our _superior swordsmanship_?" Someone asked.

Cloud sighed. Why didn't they understand…? "Think about it. If you have to survive, and everyone else is dead, the last thing you want to do is be louder than a gong. You're as good as dead. _Stealth_."

The class nodded. "Alright then, scram." Leon waved at the doorway, and everyone collected his or her books. After they left, Leon collapsed in the chair, and Cloud perched on the desk.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip later." Cloud said after a minute of comfortable silence. Leon remembered their previous Hogsmeade trip and winced. Not fun.

Cloud looked defeated. "I have to go. I haven't done any of my Christmas shopping…"

Leon looked up. Christmas shopping? He had completely forgotten about that. "Me too. I'll go." He said it sadly. He would admit it—he was stingy. He _liked_ the (rather large) paycheck he got for teaching. Cloud noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"It's _Christmas,_ Leon. You're supposed to give."

"…Give what?"

Cloud strode towards the door. "I don't know. Hugs. Kisses. Give them _shit_, I don't care. The point _is_," He turned around and raised a finger, "To give them _something._" With that, he left to go…wherever it is Cloud goes.

-----------------

During the cold walk to Hogsmeade, Leon listened absently to Sora's explanation of something funny hat happened in Transfiguration. He needed to think! Presents…he was never any good at present-giving.

Leon and Cloud split up once they got onto the main street. They were most likely going to buy presents for each other, and didn't want the other (or anyone, really) seeing. Cloud wandered into Zonko's, and Leon got a marvelous idea. He slunk into Honeydukes.

Later, they met up in the Three Broomsticks. Cloud got another Butterbeer, and Leon went without. Madam Rosmerta was a bit surprised that they were wearing the opposite clothes from last time, but she didn't say anything. …_Other _than the shameless flirting and thrusting herself across the counter at them. Needless to say, they were _not_ interested.

Cloud fished a small candy out of his pocket and offered it to Leon. Leon violently shook his head and said, "Never again."

Cloud raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He popped the chocolate in his mouth. "How much chocolate have you eaten lately?"

Leon groaned and buried his head in his hands. He mumbled, "Too much…"

Cloud snorted and ate another. More for him, then. He looked up when tinkling bells chimed. Hagrid led a large group of people into the room and spotted them sitting in a corner.

"Hey!" Hagrid waved joyfully and led the group over to them. There was Hagrid, of course, Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Fudge, and someone they didn't recognize. She was a short, plump woman with a squished face like a toad. The other Professors didn't seem very happy that she was with them. Fudge looked a bit different—his eyes were narrowed, and his face had deeper, meaner lines.

Fudge muttered something that sounded like "With all the nonsense about you-know-who being back…"

Hagrid rummaged around in his pocket, and Cloud idly put a lollipop in his mouth. Hagrid was having a bit of trouble—he scattered about half the trash can (or that's at least what it looked like) on the table. He mumbled, "Didn't know you two were together…" And continued checking his pockets.

Both men froze and looked up. Everyone else (save for the toad-faced woman) was giving them knowing looks. Cloud tried to say something, but it sounded like gibberish because of the lollipop. He pulled it out and tried again.

"_Who's together?"_

Everyone blinked. Fudge said, "Don't jest. We saw Colin's Christmas present-"

Cloud's blood ran cold. He turned to look at Leon, who looked horrified. They simultaneously burst out of the booth and ran out of the restaurant and into the street. They glanced once at the sheets of paper in students' hands and sprinted full-tilt for Hogwarts, Leon trailing his bag of presents behind him.

-------------------

With trembling fingers, Cloud took the sheet from Sora. He ignored constant snickers and flipped it over. Colin really was a great photographer—the lighting was perfect. That didn't help them one bit. The photo showed Leon and Cloud that dreadful morning after that dreadful day.

Leon's arms were wound around Cloud's back. Cloud's legs were curled into a ball and he buried his face in Leon's neck… Every time Leon exhaled, some of Cloud's spikes shifted. The angle was just right—you saw the shadows from Cloud's lashes on his cheeks, every dip and hollow in their muscles… The whole picture had a certain _feel_ to it. Calm, clean…and full of love.

Cloud was mortified. He wanted do puke, then die. Leon snatched the photo him and looked at it. On the bottom of the bed, small letters flashed. It said, "WANT MORE? THEN TALK TO COLIN CREEVEY, FOR ALL YOUR LEONHART—STRIFE NEEDS!"

Picture-Cloud and picture-Leon woke up. They blinked sleepily for a moment, and realized what they were doing. They sprang to opposite sides of the bad and sat in embarrassed silence.

-------------------------

"Goodbye Professor!"

"I'll miss you!"

"Can you sign my copy of the photo?"

"I don't want to leave!"

"…No."

"Have a nice Christmas!"

"I'll send you something!"

"Not fair!"

"…That's really not necessary."

"Thanks, though."

"Goodbye!"

"I love you!"

"…"

"_Please_ sign my copy?"

It happened just like they knew it would. It was finally time for the students to go home for Christmas break, and Leon and Cloud were being mobbed by well-wishers and students who wanted them to sign their copy of "the photo". It had a universal term now. Say "the photo", and everyone knew what you were talking about.

After they shook off the kids, they retreated to the kitchens. Not very many people knew about it, so they doubted that they would be discovered and brought back to socializing.

Dobby was bustling around as usual, but he had a Santa hat on his head this time. Leon waved to a few house-elves. "Hey Domar," He said to a shriveled mess of a house-elf in the corner, "How's Christmas dinner going?"

Domar said in a monotone, "Very well."

Leon smiled pleasantly and kept walking. "Domar's a complete nutcase," He whispered to Cloud. "He works himself into the ground every single day."

"…Kind of like you?"

Leon didn't respond. He tapped Dobby on the shoulder. "Need help with anything?"

Dobby spun around. "So noble!" He went on like this for a while. Then he drew himself up to his full height and said very firmly, "But Professor Leonhart cannot help with Christmas dinner! It is…a house-elf's holiday."

Leon grinned. "That's okay. Good luck, Dobby."

"Thank you, Sir!"

Cloud gave a short wave, and the two men left to pass the time before Christmas.

-------------------

It was Cloud who opened his eyes first. Yep, he was spooned against Leon again. What in the world happened in their sleep? He'd have to set up a camera to check sometime… He closed his eyes again.

They shot open. It was Christmas. He wasn't expecting any presents, but he was excited to see Leon's reaction when he opened his gift. He sat up, and was blown away by the _mountain_ of presents at the foot of the bed. Dumbfounded, he shook Leon awake.

"We got a _lot_ of presents." He playfully slapped Leon's cheek so he would fully wake up. Leon pushed the offending hand away and sat up. He too, was shocked.

Cloud slid out of bed to sit on the floor. "You want to go first?" He asked, and pointed to the heaps of presents that had "To Professor Leonhart," or "L" on them.

Leon shrugged and tore the paper off of a funny-looking package. It was a weird instrument given by the Weasley twins. Leon set it to the side and plucked a box from the bottom of Cloud's pile. "This is from me." He said, and handed it to him.

Cloud curiously ripped off the blue paper and lifted the lid of a small box. An index card on the top said "Merry Christmas Cloud," and Leon drew a lopsided smiley face, which could have been a frown. Cloud chuckled and lifted the card. Sitting in neat little rows were balls. They were red, pink, tan…

"Eat one." Leon urged. Cloud popped one in his mouth…and nearly died. _It tasted like__** bacon**_. There was definitely magic at work here—it was hard and crunchy and delicious and warm…but it still looked like gum, once you took it out of your mouth. Cloud gaped at Leon.

"Thanks…but how…how did you get it?"

Leon smirked, but then his face contorted into a pained grimace. "Honeydukes… I had to let Doris feed me every kind of chocolate in the store. She made them as a thank-you."

Cloud grinned and held out a soft package. Leon took it and unwrapped it. A leather jacket, identical to Leon's old one, fell into his lap. Cloud rubbed his neck. "I ruined your old one, so…" His wing flattened itself behind his back by itself. Leon reached out and pried it loose.

"Hate it when you do that…" He muttered, and stood up so he could put it on. "Thanks."

Cloud smiled up at Leon. "Welcome."

They got a wide assortment of gifts. Candy, drinks, (no doubt filled with love potion,) energy pills, band-aids, books, trinkets, and more. Mrs. Weasley surprised them by sending each a sweater with their name on it and a bunch of chocolate. Leon placed his on the desk for _much_ later.

--------------------

"Merry Christmas!"

Leon opened the doors to the Great Hall, and was attacked by Sora. The brunet had a Santa hat on his head, and wore a brand new necklace over his own Weasley sweater. It was a radiant blue, like Sora's eyes, and said SORA in white. Sora pointed at the slightly lighter blue sweater that Cloud was wearing. It said CLOUD in swirly script, and had a fluffy cloud on the shoulder.

"You got a picture! Not fair…"

Cloud fingered Sora's necklace. "Who gave you that?"

Sora looked down. "Oh! Riku and Kairi did!" He glanced at Leon's sweater—it was blue-grey and said LEON in black.

"Leon, you're like me! Completely picture-less…" He pretended to be offended and went back to the Gryffindor table.

They finally glanced at the room. There were at least _thirty_ students present. They sat down next to Riku, and Cloud whispered, "Didn't everyone go home? Only a few kids should be here."

Harry was a bit confused too. "Most of these kids _do_ go home. I'm not sure why they're still here."

"Isn't it obvious?" Riku rolled his eyes. "They didn't want to go without me for a whole week and a half!"

Kairi giggled. "They more likely didn't want to leave their beloved professors." She lightly punched Cloud's arm.

Cloud frowned. "I was looking forward to not having so much attention for once."

Sora brightened. He turned to Harry and Ron (Hermione was visiting her parents) and said, "Let's all do something fun later!"

Everyone nodded enthusiastically, but Leon said offhandedly, "We might join you, but we'll be busy, or at least for part of the day."

"Alright then." Sora waved to Dumbledore, who came in bright red robes with green trim.

They were given a light brunch (to save room for the gigantic dinner) and everyone was kicked out of the Great Hall. It was pleasant, but the message was clear—get _out_, or you'll regret it.

Sora, Kairi, Riku, Harry and the Weasleys ran outside to play in the snow. Cloud smiled fondly and turned to Leon. "We'll be busy?"

Leon nodded, and started walking down the hallway. He beckoned for Cloud, and he followed curiously. Leon led him upstairs, and into a long hallway. He held a finger to his lips and started pacing up and down.

Last time, he didn't know what he was doing, but he remembered vaguely. He was thinking about how to beat Cloud…. Leon tried, he really did, but his mind was getting sidetracked. He was more than a little worried about getting seen. Ever since that infernal photo was released, it would have been safe to say that he and Cloud were being stalked. …More so than usual. He didn't doubt that kids were watching them somehow, he was developing an almost…sixth sense for onlookers. Stalker rada-

Leon stopped, because a door appeared in front of his face. Cloud stared at it in wonder. "I found this door a while ago," Leon said as he grasped the doorknob. "It's a really weird room." He pushed it open, and froze.

Rather than the many books of Cloud he was expecting, the door opened into a spacious room with beds, a sink, and a bathroom. Cloud rummaged through one of the many drawers and pulled out a little package.

"It's a survival kit, Leon. This room is a hideout, or something."

That was odd. Why would the rooms be different?

Leon poked his head in the bathroom. "Cloud." He called. "There's a water saving…thing on the sink. It's definitely a hid-" There was a loud crash, followed by a muffled curse and giggling.

Alarmed, Cloud looked in the bathroom, to see Leon glaring at the ghost of a young girl from the floor. The girl must have shocked him—he sat with a pile of towels dumped over his chest.

The ghost giggled again and said, "I'm Myrtle. I've seen you two before."

Leon opened his mouth. …And closed it again. He tried once more. "…Why did you come out of the toilet?"

Myrtle looked offended, and her eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong with the toilet? Do you think that just because Myrtle's _dead_, you can say whatever y-"

Leon held up his hands. He hated seeing women in distress. "No, I just wondered. But…it's a very…nice toilet."

"You're making fun of me…" Myrtle's voice broke.

"No, I'm not. He glanced desperately at Cloud. "It's much nicer than the one Cloud and I have, really."

Myrtle beamed. "So that's your name?" She fluttered her eyes "seductively" at Cloud. He nodded hesitantly.

"And who are you?" She stared expectantly at Leon, who was putting the towels back on the rack by a cabinet.

"Leon."

Myrtle squealed happily. "Leon, Cloud, I'll see you soon!" With that, she screamed again and dove back into the toilet.

There was a minute of silence, and then Cloud muttered, "weird…" and turned around. Leon bade the room farewell and ushered Cloud out. When he closed the door with a loud "click", both men sighed.

--------------------

In the fresh snow outside, there was a fierce battle. After Leon and Cloud joined, it was _war_. Snowballs flew, people screamed, and there was more than a little bit of cheating. (Blizzaga.)

In the end, Riku, Cloud, George, Yuffie and Ron won. Everyone trooped inside to dry off before the early Christmas feast. Leon put on his new jacket—Cloud grinned almost non-stop.

The Great Hall was…different. Very different. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and the floor looked like ice, but wasn't. A big white tree glistened in the corner. One of the House tables was set in the right-center of the room, and the rest was bare. Harry was confused. He muttered something that sounded like "The same as last year…"

They awkwardly sat at the table, and students joined them in the span of a few minutes. Once everyone (students and teachers alike) were present, Dumbledore stood.

"This year, for the small group of us who remain during the holidays, we decided to re-create the Yule ball that was held last year. Of course, on a much smaller scale.

Leon glanced at the ice-covered room. He thought, _"Just how extravagant was it last year?" _

Dumbledore sat down, and the table filled with food. Dinner was pleasant—the whole table was having the same conversation a few times, and anyone would add a comment when they felt like it. During dessert, someone sneezed and powdered sugar flew all over half the table. As the last of it faded away, everyone was pushed (rather rudely) out of their seats and onto the floor. The table flew into the air and folded itself in half. It crashed to the ground in the corner of the room. Bowls of punch and the like appeared on top of a light blue tablecloth.

Cloud glanced at Leon—that was _so_ completely unneeded and unnecessary. Leon was thinking the same thing, judging by the look on his face.

It got worse. A big, silvery…_disco ball_ descended from somewhere. They were expected to dance.

Almost immediately, Leon, Cloud, Professor McGonagall and Snape hurried towards the exit. A motley of students and Dumbledore blocked the doors.

"We're celebrating Christmas," Dumbledore said calmly. "Stay for a little bit, and then we'll let you go."

Sadly, Cloud pulled Leon to a corner of the room. If they stayed hidden, no one would expect anything from them…right?

Yuffie ran over to them and pulled on their hands. "Dumbledore says everyone only has to stay for a half-hour. So dance with us!"

Cloud groaned. "Yuffie, leave us alone. Half an hour has nothing to do with dancing, anyway." He glanced at the clock. Half an hour…surely, they could survive until then. Probably.

"Sure it does!" Yuffie tugged with all her might suddenly, and they lurched forward.

A number of other Professors and students were being ushered into the middle of the room. Almost all of them looked unhappy. Slow music drifted out from somewhere, and someone pulled a party popper.

After a short time passed, the tension slowly seeped out of the people inside. Dumbledore waltzed with Professor Sprout, and Riku and Sora were doing whatever the heck they felt like. Cloud was over by the snack table, eating a cupcake. Why there was cupcakes, he would never know, but they were good. Just as Cloud took a sip of his punch, a deep voice said, "Professor Strife, will you dance with me?"

Cloud choked on his drink. He knew that voice…

He looked up, and his worst fears were confirmed. In front of him stood a Slytherin named Danny Connor. Connor was best friends with a boy named Michael Briggs. They were both big, fat, stupid, muscled, and very, _very_ gay.

Just a few weeks ago, Cloud could have sworn that one of the two was following him. It was mentioned once (in chapter three) that in some cases with the older students, they were stared at lustfully. That was referring to Connor and Briggs.

Cloud glanced at Leon—the was talking to Briggs. Not good. "I'm your teacher." Cloud hissed.

Connor shrugged. "Flitwick's dancing with Weasley." He pointed to Ginny, who was laughing along with Professor Flitwick.

Cloud knew he was cornered. "I-I don't think I-" He didn't _want_ do dance with a boy student…or _any_ student, for that matter.

"Sure you can!" Yuffie was unashamedly listening in on their conversation, and pushed Cloud forward. "He's all yours," Yuffie said to Connor with a wink. Connor grinned stupidly and pulled Cloud towards the center of the room.

Yuffie sat down next to Kairi. "Think it'll work?" She whispered.

Kairi studied Cloud, who was being yanked around the dance floor by Connor, and then at Leon, who was flat-out refusing to dance with Briggs. "…Maybe."

Cloud was trying to ignore the snickers from everyone watching. It really wasn't his fault—Connor was _huge_. Taller than Leon, even. Connor kept trying to subtly wrap his arms around Cloud's waist—he had to keep jerking backwards to get away from Connor's wandering hands. If this kept up, he'd bury the boy in detentions. It was all the more embarrassing because he was dancing with a guy. He didn't have anything against gays, but he sure wasn't one of them. He just liked Leon a lot, was all. …He could feel Connor's erection…Cloud really wanted to puke.

"Ever since I saw you on the first day of school," Connor murmured, "I've been comp—colum—comn—_really _in lov-"

The music faded, and Cloud snatched his fingers back.

"Do you want to dance again, Professor?" Connor asked.

Cloud paled. He glanced around the room and said quickly, "I would, but I…already promised Leon I would." He noticed Leon glaring at Briggs—dancing together would solve both of their seventh-year Slytherin troubles. He hurried across the room.

"Uh, excuse me." Cloud said when he got close. Leon looked grateful, and very, _very_ pissed. Briggs looked disappointed.

"…Leon…want to dance…with me?"

He really, _really_ hoped that Leon would say yes. If he didn't, Connor would pursue Cloud all night, and Cloud didn't doubt for a second that Connor would rape him if given the chance. If Leon said no, then it was because of that. It's not like he _wanted_ to dance…or anything.

Leon raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Cloud looked at Briggs and tilted his head towards Connor. Leon smiled and said, "Sure." They left Connor and Briggs looking confused, and pissed.

Kairi squealed. Yuffie frowned. "That wasn't supposed to happen. Where's Leon's jealous rage?"

"Ssh! Who cares, they're still dancing together." Kairi leant forward to watch.

It was kind of funny, really. After they deserted Connor and Briggs, they knew that they actually had to _dance_ to be left alone. A whispered fight broke out.

"I'm not girl."

"Me neither."

"You have to."

"_You_ have to."

"We'll take turns. Fair?"

"Yeah…"

Suddenly, Leon grabbed Cloud's wrists and spun him. Like hell he was being the girl _first_. It was surprisingly easy to dance with Cloud. It must have been the way their bodies fit, or something. It wasn't nearly as un-enjoyable as dancing with Briggs would have been. He was dimly aware of some people stopping what they were doing to watch.

Cloud bent Leon's finger back, and Leon's falter allowed him to take charge. He stepped backwards and pulled Leon forwards. Cloud wasn't aware that he was grinning like a maniac, but it was something that others were quick to pick up.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout were whispering in one of the corners of the room. As soon as Connor and Briggs made their way towards their colleagues, they started "conversing." At first, Strife danced with Connor. Creepy, stalker-ish kid. They looked at Leonhart for some kind of reaction—but Briggs was bothering him. When Cloud left Connor after the song was over and headed towards Leonhart, they knew what he was thinking.

Dumbledore strolled over to them. "What are you two whispering about?"

Professor Sprout violently pointed at Leon, who wrested control from Cloud again. Leon had a weird expression on his face. Dumbledore smiled fondly.

"Who do you think will make the first move?" Professor Sprout asked.

"Hey! I'm for it, but how do you know if they're gay? They said the present was an accident…" Professor McGonagall questioned.

"Minerva." Dumbledore said. Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout raised their eyebrows. Was Headmaster Dumbledore _gossiping_? "Look at them. I believe Leonhart will."

There was a shocked silence. "…I'm sensitive to these sorts of things." Dumbledore said finally.

"Leonhart, huh?" Professor McGonagall murmured. "Maybe…"

Slowly, they migrated from the center of the room to one of the walls. It was just easier that way. As the song ended, Leon and Cloud let go of each other, suddenly awkward. Cloud glanced at the clock—their half-hour was over. The could leave.

Cloud looked at Leon to tell him the good news, but the words died somewhere. Leon was staring at him with _some_ kind of expression or emotion on his face, but Cloud couldn't tell what.

Leon was battling with himself inwardly. Something…_happened._ He didn't know when, and he didn't know how, but it did. Cloud…during the dance, he was just so warm…so…_something._ When had this happened? He looked back on the previous few months. Could…all of their teasing be mistaken as flirting? A rush of emotions hit him.

Leon took a step forward. Cloud's eyes widened briefly and he looked up. Leon's eyes were clouded, dark… He took a step back.

Cloud was a bit scared. The look in Leon's eyes wasn't one he had seen before. Leon moved forward until Cloud pressed his back against the wall. It was deathly silent in the room—he could feel everyone holding his or her breath. Leon placed an arm on either side of Cloud's face, trapping him.

"Leon…" Cloud said shakily. Leon looked like he was going to kill, or something equally crazy. If worst came to worst, Cloud could probably overpower Leon in a fight, however…

Leon bent his head and moved it forward so his eyes were inches from Cloud's. For a few seconds, they stared into each other's eyes, breathing erratically. Leon's eyes slid closed, and he pressed his mouth to Cloud's.

As Leon felt his lips touch Cloud's, the weird pressing feelings left his body. Cloud's eyes stayed open for a few seconds longer—he was completely shocked. As they slid closed too, both men felt a wave of new emotions and feelings blossom from somewhere deep inside them and spread to every corner of their bodies and back.

The kiss was a rush—a rush of…_everything._ Were kisses supposed to be like this? Teeth, lips and tongue smashed into each other mercilessly. It was as if there were gates holding back everything, and they cracked and splintered before finally bursting open.

Cloud was only aware of this _heat_ that was between his body and Leon's. Something was beeping at him from the back of his mind, something important, but he really didn't care at the moment.

Leon bit down on Cloud's lip gently, and Cloud gasped a bit. All Cloud could do was clutch the back of Leon's head and force him down.

Chaos erupted. Screaming and yelling reverberated off of the walls. Cloud sprung away from Leon, his face was suddenly redder than a tomato. Leon turned around too. Both men seemed to have forgotten that they were in a room filled with people. They were _very_ embarrassed.

Yuffie and Kairi high-fived. Ron looked scandalized.

Yuffie yelled, "Operation—Knuckleheaded Professors, complete!"

------------------------

This was bad. This was worse than bad. This was _embarrassing_, most of all. Cloud sat on the bench of the snack table, trying to ignore the person to his right. Even now, he fought the urge to just…tackle Leon to the ground and kiss his face off. He supposed that that is what happened when you took two people that were basically starved of human contact that wasn't a handshake or a punch, and put them together.

Cloud felt a finger trailing down his wing. He looked over his shoulder. Leon gazed at him with a tender, yet doubtful expression. It was like he was afraid of Cloud's reaction.

This saddened him. Even before today, they were…the best of friends. And hadn't Cloud kissed Leon back in front of all those people? He gave Leon one of his rare true-smiles.

Leon grinned back. Somehow, it didn't feel so awkward anymore. Cloud noticed Professor Sprout beckoning for him. "I'll be back." He said. Leon nodded and smiled. Blushing a little bit, Cloud hurried across the room. Professor McGonagall and Professor Strife were waiting for him.

"So, Cloud…" Professor Sprout said with a wink. He was _so_ not going to enjoy this.

"Since when have you had the hots for Leonhart?"

Clout turned beet red, but didn't say anything.

"We're teasing. But do you think you'll be on bottom? On top?" Professor Sprout ignored Professor McGonagall's yelp and how Cloud was edging away from them.

"If you're uptight, why don't you leave?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Cloud faltered. "…I could leave, but… If we had left earlier, that would have been okay. We could be off training, or something. But after…" He gestured towards his face, "If we leave, people…assume things." He looked slightly sick.

"Cloud. Just relax. I doubt you and Leonhart will…do anything. Just a minute ago, you could cut the tension at that table with a knife." Professor Sprout pointed at the table where Cloud had been sitting previously. "You're best friends, right?"

Cloud shifted. "…I guess so."

Professor McGonagall caught the train of thought. "So act like you usually would—which is don't really think. It'll ease the tension between both of you."

Cloud thanked them both. It was amazing how much women knew. He plopped down next to Leon. He didn't feel nearly as tightly wound as before, and he watched as Leon caught it and relaxed his shoulders. Cloud idly popped a something-or-another in his mouth.

"Hey…let's look at the rest of our presents."

It was true—they had so much, they left a small portion for later, after they were stuffed with food.

Leon grinned and nodded. They stood up and made their way over to where Sora and Riku were dancing like lunatics. They paused for a second and looked up, but then started dancing again.

"Hey guys." Sora panted.

"We're going to leave now. We'll see you tomorrow." Leon tried not to laugh at the thing Riku was doing with his hips.

"…Have good sex!" Riku said loudly when he noticed Leon's held-in smile.

Both men reddened considerably and left without another word. Out in the hallway, cloud remembered his "conversation" with Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout. He chuckled.

Leon noticed. "What's so funny?"

Cloud looked away. "I was asked…things."

"Like what?"

"…" Cloud shook his head. There was another long awkward silence after Leon pieced together the clues. Cloud's embarrassment and questions…plus what happened earlier…Leon cringed inwardly.

_Honestly._ What in the world possessed him to kiss Cloud? It seemed like a good idea at the time—and he wasn't completely in control of his body. He couldn't deny that both of them enjoyed it, however. He never thought that he would end up liking another guy. What about Rinoa? What about Tifa? Cloud was his friend…

"Leon?"

Cloud stared at him. "You spaced out."

"Oh. Sorry." Leon shook his head a bit and followed Cloud to their room. Discarded paper and ribbons were thrown haphazardly on one side of the room—on the other side sat two semi-neat piles of unopened presents. Cloud sat on the ground beside his pile.

"I'm going to change first…" Leon mumbled.

"…Good idea." Cloud got back up and rummaged through his drawer for clothes. Leon quickly retreated to the bathroom for his infamous late-night shower. Cloud nervously changed into his pajama pants and sat on the edge of their bed. He absently fiddled with his shirt. He would still need help with it…

Cloud sat in contemplative silence and looked up when Leon opened the door. He was wearing a t-shirt and his favorite low-slung black pajama pants. Leon's eyes widened a bit when he saw the shirt in Cloud's hands.

"…Can you help me…?" Cloud asked nervously.

Leon nodded. Cloud bit the inside of his cheek and took off his shirt. Leon stared at the ceiling. Cloud turned around and handed the new shirt to Leon. It was a very awkward affair—Leon was trying to fit Cloud's wing into the hole in his shirt without actually touching Cloud's skin, and Cloud stared at the floor.

Eventually, Cloud had had enough. He turned around and glared at Leon. They both got a bit red. "Regardless of…what happened earlier," Cloud said, "You're still my friend. Just…put the goddamn shirt on." He turned around again.

He could _feel_ Leon smiling again. A deft hand gently rolled the wing and faltered. Leon always couldn't stand the cracking and breaking of cartilage. Cloud constantly assured him that it didn't hurt—and it went back to normal the moment it was over. Just another _amazing_ power of darkness.

Once the shirt was on, Cloud thanked Leon and tossed his normal shirt onto the floor. Leon kicked it under the bed. Cloud picked up a rather large present in his pile and read the tag. "From Sora…" He said quietly. Upon opening it, he pulled out a giant box of…stuff. There were gag gifts, (presumably from Zonko's) a giant mess of chocolate, (Leon made a face) and a note that read, "One free recon mission." Cloud smiled fondly and mentally-warned Colin Creevey.

Leon got a ridiculously large keychain with a giant roaring lion on it. Obviously, someone saw Griever and thought he liked lions. Leon held it up, dumbfounded. Cloud held out his hand to see it, and _of course_, their fingers brushed.

There was an awkward silence, and Cloud muttered "…big." And handed it back. They both stared at something in the room for a minute.

Cloud frowned. He got up and crouched down in front of Leon, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Stormy-grey eyes locked in on Cloud's own, and he took a deep breath. He would sound like a teenaged-drama, but he didn't really care at the moment. "…I like you."

Leon blinked once and tilted his head as he flicked his bangs out of his face.

"…I want to act normally." He realized that it sounded like he was turning Leon down, and hurriedly continued. "L-like we were. No awkward silences. Because I really do like you."

At this, Leon grinned a bit. Cloud took another deep breath. Leon was the one to start all this, he had to keep it going. It seemed that the brunet exhausted all of his forwardness for the day. He leant forward on his hands and pressed his lips against Leon's.

Leon placed a hand on the back of Cloud's head and ran a finger along Cloud's jaw line hesitantly. He was surprised (as was Cloud) when the blond opened his mouth. Leon slipped his tongue inside nervously. Cloud fisted the front of Leon's shirt to keep his balance.

It seemed that both of them realized what they were doing, because Cloud sprang backwards onto his back, (ouch,) and Leon turned his neck so fast it cracked. They grinned at each other and once again faced their presents. The tension from before was completely gone.

For the next half-hour or so, they finished unwrapping presents and then cleaned up. They lounged around the room for awhile, left to their own devices. A bit later, they brushed their teeth with the special dentist-quality toothbrushes Hermione left them, and sleepily collapsed onto their bed.

At first, Cloud laid on the very edge of the bed. …But just because Leon liked him didn't mean anything would happen. They were friends—and he knew Leon. Besides, he _did_ know how to say no, after all. Leon looked just as -vu, Cloud relaxed and elbowed Leonnervous as he felt. With a feeling of déja in the side.

Leon turned to see Cloud gazing at him. Yeah. They were being stupid. They'd slept in the same "bed" together for three-and-a-half months now. Leon smiled reassuringly at Cloud, and Cloud smiled back. With only a few second's hesitation, Leon wrapped his arms around Cloud. It had been happening every night for awhile now—why fight it? Cloud stiffened momentarily, and chuckled a bit before embracing Leon back.

"Night, Leon…" Cloud mumbled into Leon's neck.

"Goodnight, Cloud…and Merry Christmas."

"You too."

Leon placed a kiss on Cloud's forehead before both of them fell asleep. (**1**)

-----------------------

The first thing Leon did when he woke up was try to smother himself with his pillow. He couldn't believe it. He had _kissed_ Cloud. A guy. In front of everyone—his co-workers, in front of all those kids…He'd be lucky if Cloud ever talked to him again…Wait.

Through his sleep-fogged mind, he remembered Cloud kneeling down in front of him…and the blond kissed _him_. Kissed him _back_. He jerked his head to the side and stared at Cloud. He was still sleeping—his chest rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern. Leon stayed still and thought. Life now could be _extremely_ awkward. But…he had a feeling that everyone would be okay. Cloud told him basically to cut the crap, because he really didn't have a problem with anything. Leon smiled at Cloud's sleeping form and gently brushed a few spikes off of his forehead.

"Cloud…" He whispered. Cloud grunted and buried himself farther into Leon's chest. As much as Leon relished someone clinging to him for once, they had to get up. He shook Cloud's shoulders and mimicked him from the previous morning and gently slapped his cheek.

Cloud opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times. Then he looked up into Leon's eyes.

There was a short silence, and Leon said "Morning." and smiled.

Cloud grinned and hesitantly tightened his grip. Leon did too, and they laid there for a minute. Finally, Leon said, "We have to get up."

"I know." Cloud mumbled. He went boneless for a few seconds, and then reluctantly slid himself out of bed. He grabbed new boxers and a t-shirt before sliding into the bathroom. Once inside, he rested his head against the mirror and let his face erupt into a blush. …Dammit. He was acting like one of his _students_. Cloud stood under the warm spray of the shower and chided himself. He had to act normally…

-------------------

How could he be expected to act normally? As soon as they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, every head in the place turned, and lots of eyes homed in on them. There were shouts, teasing… Yuffie was even tactful enough to shout, "How was the sex?"

Cloud wanted to _die_. He glared at Yuffie so fiercely, she tried to shrink a little bit. And of course everyone _else_ heard the comment, so half of the people present were convinced they had sex. Cloud quickly put a stop to that—he almost screamed at Sora that "No, They Did Not Have Sex." Cloud could tell that the other Professors believed him, but that didn't stop their teasing.

The only good thing that happened at breakfast was the owl post. When the owls swooped in, a huge brown owl landed on the table in front of Leon. As soon as the giant red letter tied to its leg was spotted, the volume in the room increased as everyone pointed at it.

"…What's going on?" Cloud asked Professor Flitwick.

The tiny Professor looked at the letter apprehensively. "That's a Howler. You…" He trailed off, because the letter started to smoke. The owl screeched and violently shook its leg, trying to get it off. Leon lunged for the owl, ripped it off, and flung the letter to the floor.

It was engulfed in tiny flames, and the giant, amplified of Aerith filled the room. …So maybe the owl post _wasn't _a good thing.

"Leon! Cloud!" She shrieked. Everyone present covered their ears and started laughing. "When I heard the news, I _had_ to send this letter! I'm so happy for you! You two had a really strong friendship before, and now that you're dating-" It seemed that Aerith had gone into fangirl-mode.

"Stop it, you'll yak their ears off all day if could, woman." The voice was deeper, definitely Cid's. Was this an answering machine, or something?

"So," He boomed. "I never thought you two were faggots."

"_Cid!"_ Aerith yelled in the background. Cloud's hands clenched into fists.

"Yeah, sorry, sorry. Anyway, good for you two, gettin' together and stuff. It's about time."

A new voice came on. "Cloud Strife!" Tifa's voice echoed through the room, and Cloud groaned. "Why didn't you tell me you were gay? Usually, I'm sensitive to these sorts of things, but-"

"Tifa, Tifa, let me talk!"

Leon palmed his face. It was Jack.

"Leon, my friend! I just wanted you to know that the restoration is coming along _marvelously_. Why, just yesterday, Zero and I took a trip to the Postern. You've done a marvelous job on it. Sally and I alwa-"

"Hello?" Sally's voice was soft and timid. "Congratulations on finding true love, you two. I'm doing my best to keep Radiant Garden…somewhat…how it used to look. Jack covered the Great Maw in-"

"Now now, Sally! Keep it a surprise!"

Leon rubbed his temples and all the students were thinking the same thing: WTF?

There was a giant chorus of goodbyes, and Aerith yelled, "Keep us updated!"

Right before the message ended, Cid's voice boomed through the Great Hall again. "Use a condom!" …And it ended.

Roars of laugher echoed through the room. Cloud slunk down in his chair to hide his red face. He cursed all of them, so embarrassing…Use a condom…in front of everybody!

"Whoever they are…they're right." Professor Flitwick said to Leon. "It's important to be protected." He grinned.

Both Leon and Cloud let their heads hit the table at the same time. …This…was not good.

* * *

**(1) I actually thought about this for awhile. Well...Leon and Cloud are both **_**really**_** bad at talking and all that stuff right? They're emo and everything... So I imagine that it would be awkward and difficult for them. After all, they're both guys who suddenly find that they like each other, and it's hard to express themselves. Thus, awkwardness galore. It gets better...I was just worried... **

* * *

**Finally done! I hope it was okay...tell me! Reviews are my...inspiration! -jumps in front of a sunset prop- The only thing that keeps me going! -cries tears of Justice-**

**Next chapter: Amanda Denton pieces together things, and Voldy and Seph get to work. **

**Oh! And thanks for all of the amazing reviews! I never imagined I would get into the nineties. I was thinking more along the lines of forties...but I'm very happy! Thank you! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight. It may be a little confusing at the end, but...let's hope not. : ) **

**I can NOT believe that I have over a **_**hundred**_** reviews! Thanks so much, everybody! **

**Uhh...Riku/Sora is coming. I promise. Just not this chapter. Heh heh...**

**This chapter is for the **_**real**_** Amanda Denton, who I've converted to the Sephiroth/Cloud fandom! Oh yeah.**

* * *

"Sephiroth!"

In a dark room down a long hallway, said man threw an arm over his eyes. Voldemort was angry _again._ The man was constantly fuming about something. Hadn't he been nice? He gave the man the power of darkness to use, but Voldemort wasn't happy.

Sephiroth really couldn't see why—Voldemort's Death Eaters could summon Heartless at will now. Voldemort's nostrils flared much more so than usual when he had witnessed the powers being given to his underlings. You could even say that the man was happy.

Sephiroth slowly got up from his bed. He wasn't sleeping, he was more…resting. There wasn't much to do here except bother the Death Eaters. When he was introduced to them, he was scoffed at. Voldemort's little sidekicks didn't think he was powerful? He quickly put a stop to _that._ One of them—Sephiroth forgot the mongrel's name—wouldn't be using his arms (or legs) anytime soon.

Slowly, he walked to Voldemort's room. There wasn't any incentive to hurry—it was more like an incentive to slow down. Voldemort was mean, he was nasty, and he had no respect. Sephiroth was intrigued whenever Cloud stood up to him all those years ago, showed some backbone, unlike those other SOLDIERs, but with Voldemort, it pissed him off. Frequently, he had to will himself not to gut the man where he stood.

Upon entering the room, Sephiroth rolled his eyes. Voldemort had a positively _murderous_ aura around him. He thought it was more of a childish tantrum.

Sephiroth said in a monotone, "What do you want, Voldemort."

Voldemort breathed once out of his nostrils and balled his hands into fists. "…I can't get to Potter."

Sephiroth cocked his head to the side. "What?"

Voldemort hissed, "I can't get to Potter! I overcame the previous barriers, but there's a new one. That bitch's love shouldn't repel me anymore."

"It's not polite to call someone's mother a bitch." He said softly. Oh, how _fun_ it was to bother Voldemort. Back when he was General, a look from him would send anyone scurrying. The only ones he actually got to make sarcastic comments to were occasionally Tseng, Reno, and Zack. Hojo didn't make very good conversation. His dead body was more talkative. However, that was very, very off-track.

Voldemort gazed into space. Suddenly, he looked at Sephiroth accusingly. "Darkness," He spat. "Darkness is doing it."

Sephiroth nodded. Of course he knew. He wouldn't have given Voldemort the power of Darkness without knowing everything that would happen to the man. Even though Voldemort may have passed the old barriers, and could now touch Harry, using the power of Darkness even once created new obstacles. Once you threw Darkness into the mix, all kinds of Ancient magic were unleashed.

"…Can you still get Strife?"

Sephiroth frowned. He closed his eyes briefly, and looked for the wing that now jutted out of Cloud's back. He heard of the successful mission—but only on his part. Voldemort wanted Harry taken to him, but his Death Eaters failed in that particular respect. Lucius was punished greatly—the man's screams echoed into his room a few days ago.

The wing was kind of like a beacon—that _was_ why he put it there. Cloud was basically a giant blip on his radar. …But something was wrong. As Sephiroth searched within his mind, things became fuzzy. Blurred. Damn! He hadn't expected the Ancient magic and Darkness to bother _him_ as well. There was something else…

He could still sense Cloud. Something was circling his energy. If he had to give them colors, he would give it…gold. …And Cloud was silver. It was that cursed gunblader!

It was clear—Darkness and Voldemort's kind of magic didn't mix, and they were suffering the results of it.

Sephiroth opened his eyes and shook his head. Voldemort swore. He hadn't seen Voldemort this angry for awhile—not counting the other day when he found out that Harry was not in the premises. Sephiroth got an idea.

"You try Cloud, and I will try Harry. Perhaps we can reach each other's…interests."

Voldemort focused for a second. When he opened his eyes again, he grinned grotesquely. "Very clear…"

Sephiroth searched for Harry. Indeed, the far reaches of his mind were crystal clear, not blurred and fuzzy. Harry's scar was just as good a…conductor as Cloud's wing was.

"So…I focus on Strife, and you focus on Harry?" Voldemort didn't seem happy at the prospect of letting Sephiroth deal with the one he hated so…but it was the only thing to do. _Damn_ Ancient magic! It fucked everything up!

"Indeed." Sephiroth sat down in a chair, and they began talks of plans. This would be…interesting, to say the least.

-------------------

For the rest of Christmas vacation, Cloud and Leon tried to enjoy themselves as much as possible. They got ahead on their lesson plans, they trained a lot, and life was good. Every night Cloud would (with increasing confidence) wrap his arms around Leon, and Leon would do the same. They never heard the end about the Howler, though. Every time Sora or Yuffie saw them they would yell, "Use a condom!"

It made them sick. It really did. It wasn't that they didn't _want_ to have sex, it was just…too soon. They had only realized that they liked each other—hell, liked other _guys_ a few days ago. Even though every time Leon kissed him Cloud's head spun, he wasn't going to be very submissive. Like _hell_ he was…uke. Gah, that word shouldn't even _be_ in his vocabulary!

Rather than dwelling on those thoughts, they continued their light, friendly…friendship…just with kissing every now and then. And cuddling. God, Cloud felt revolted with himself. He was a _man_, dammit! _Cuddling_… If Zack could see him now. He'd probably pout and say, "Why didn't you ever cuddle with _me_?" Cloud laughed a bit at that.

He liked it, though. Somehow, it just felt ri—he was going to shut up now.

The day that class started again was a bad one. Cloud could tell it from the start. He sleepily opened his eyes and tried to wake Leon up. It worked—but Leon sneezed. The brunet's forehead smashed against his own, and both had to lie there holding their heads. Leon awkwardly apologized and with a smirk kissed Cloud's forehead, but Cloud didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He didn't like being babied.

The next thing that made his day suck was a brightly-colored cube sitting underneath is massive pile of presents. He vaguely remembered opening the Rubik's cube on Christmas morning, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. He pried it loose of that…completely _retarded_ and…unnecessary…gah, _dammit!_ packaging, and curiously looked at it as he washed his bleeding hands.

He mixed the colors up, and went about trying to solve it. In less than two minutes he wanted to scream. Leon plucked the cube out of his white-knuckled fists and solved it in (what seemed to Cloud) no time flat. Leon hesitantly kissed Cloud, but Cloud pushed him away and muttered something about how he wasn't in the mood.

As they made their way to the Great Hall, they were surprised at the mysterious lack of students. They had arrived the previous night—shouts of "Where are you, Professors?" rang throughout the whole school.

Leon and Cloud were testing how many rooms the Room of Requirement (Dobby explained it to them) could turn into. Every time they would spot a student, they would dart inside the room. Once it was one of those torture-chambers with spikes protruding in every direction. Cloud was practically climbing on Leon's back—those spikes were _pointy_. He didn't even _want_ to know what the brunet was thinking as he paced back and forth in front of the expanse of wall.

Anyway, the lack of students was suspicious. As soon as Leon pushed the doors to the Great Hall open, screams of "Hi Professor Leonhart!", "Professor Strife!", "I missed you!", and "OMG they're hotter somehow!" assaulted their ears. It was kind of obvious now—everyone wanted to see them walk into the room. There was a moment of silence where everyone (…mostly everyone) beamed at them.

Sora and Yuffie yelled during this moment of silence, "Use a condom!"

There was another short silence, and then the questions burst forth.

"_Who's _sleeping with _who_?"

"Really?"

"Use a condom? So…one of them had sex?"

"Wow!"

"Duh!"

The news of Cloud and Leon's…_relationship_ had yet to be…_released_ due to the not-so-subtle threat that was issued during breakfast a few days before.

Sora leered and said smugly, "Cloud's sleeping with—"

Quick as a flash, Cloud darted to the Gryffindor table and clamped a hand over Sora's mouth. His face burned a bit, and before anyone could say anything, he said calmly, "I'm not sleeping with anyone."

No one seemed to believe him. Everyone glared accusingly (and enviously) at some of the prettier seventh-year girls. They shrugged as if to say, _not me…_

Leon started walking to the Professors' table, and gestured for Cloud to follow him. Cloud gave Sora and Yuffie one last scary look before following. He also took his wand out of his pocket and menacingly pointed it at them from behind his back.

Sora cringed. One morning, one of Hagrid's _things_ was screeching. Cloud leant out one of the windows in the _North tower_ and sent a silencing spell the whole way to Hagrid's hut. The thing was _huge_, and at that far a distance… Nobody wanted to end up like the "worm with spider legs and fangs" that thrashed about in the muck for an hour before one of the other Professors took pity on it and lifted the enchantment.

Cloud grinned smugly and sat down at the table after removing his Buster sword. With a grunt he took the Rubik's cube out of his pocket. He fiddled with it, and couldn't for the life of him figure out how Leon did it. When Cloud's eyes were dark, and he sat straight as a board in his chair (to the amusement of Leon and his colleagues) Leon once again took it and stared at all nine sides for a few seconds. In a ridiculously short amount of time he handed it back to Cloud, perfectly done.

Cloud swore and slammed it onto the table. He muttered, "You obviously know the steps."

Leon made a non-committal noise. "You just have to think."

"You think I don't?" Cloud pointed to his head, and then at the Rubik's cube. "That thing can't be solved by thinking. You know the steps."

Leon shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "If you say so," He said after wiping his mouth. Cloud grumbled but didn't say anything.

At the Hufflepuff table, a girl watched them with rabid fascination.

The Leonhart-Strife fanclub's leader was a girl named Amanda Denton. A small group of girls had made it their duty to get them together. Before Christmas, neither man showed _any_ signs of being even _remotely_ gay (does being spooned up against each other every night count?) but they remained steadfast. The club wasn't very big—most girls admitted that if they were indeed gay, it would be _very _hot, but most girls wanted the Professors for _themselves_.

Anyway, Amanda saw their little bickering/teasing fight. Her eyes went bigger than dinner plates, and she yelled, "I know who Professor Strife's sleeping with!"

The room went silent. Amanda stood on the bench and roared, "Professor Strife is sleeping with…Professor Leonhart!"

Cloud choked on his toast and started coughing. Leon thumped him on the back. As soon as he could talk, Cloud spluttered, _"What?"_

Amanda didn't back down. Several had already lost interest—Amanda made weird accusations like this (just not as publicly) almost every other day.

"I _said_ that you're sleeping with Professor Leonhart!" She shouted.

Cloud got angry. "I'm not sleeping with Leon, and I'm _not_ sleeping with _anybody_."

Amanda sagged, and the other members of the Leonhart-Strife club groaned. A few students (those present at Christmas) wore eerily knowing looks. Amanda lifted her head and stared Cloud straight in the eyes. "You're not sleeping with Professor Leonhart?"

"_No._" Cloud said. Leon watched him with amusement.

"You wouldn't even kiss him?" She asked with obnoxious hopefulness.

Cloud blinked. He couldn't flat-out deny it, because he knew it wasn't true, and because Leon's feelings would be hurt. He paused and glanced at Leon. Unfortunately for him, everyone noticed. Amanda screamed, "So you _would_ kiss Professor Leonhart?"

"…I—well, uh, I already—" He stuttered. This was _such_ a bad day.

Screams reverberated off of the walls. Leon grinned a little. Poor Cloud…well, the jig was up. Leon stood up from his chair and stood next to Cloud. Oh, he could practically _feel _Connor and Briggs' jealously. He gently turned Cloud's head with his finger and kissed him before he could jerk backwards. Cloud stood ramrod straight for a few seconds, but then forgot that he was making out with another _man_ during _breakfast_ in front of _hundreds_ of students, his _co-workers_ and his _boss_!

Everyone else was silent while Amanda screamed her head off. Then the rest of the school joined—there was screeching, immediate conversations with neighboring friends, and one Hufflepuff fainted into her plate.

"When did this _happen_?" Hermione screamed. "They're _sleeping _together?"

Somehow, Cloud's foggy brain heard her exclamation. His eyes snapped open and he leant backwards, away from Leon. "I'm _not_," He said forcefully, "sleeping with Leon." He sat down in his seat without another word or look at anyone. Leon chuckled and sat down too.

Cloud managed a sideways glance at Leon. How was it that every time that man kissed him, he lost all rational thought? No, he was a teacher! Cloud snorted and grabbed the Rubik's cube again. He would do this if it killed him.

-------------------

_Why_ couldn't he just die already? Cloud sat cross-legged on their desk, glaring at the poor cube. Leon left the room for a minute, and returned with the students. Every single one was brimming with questions. They couldn't not answer any of them…no one would pay any attention.

Leon sighed, leant against the desk, and folded one leg over the other. "What do you want to know?" He said frankly while folding his arms.

Lavender raised her arm the fastest. Once called on, she chirped, "How long have you two been dating?"

Cloud stopped his irritable cube-turning and looked at Lavender. He finally said, "We're not…" He cringed, "_dating_." He glanced at Leon, but then quickly looked away.

"Then what do you call it?" Dean mumbled. "If you're already sleeping together..."

Cloud bristled. "For the _last_ time, I am _not _sleeping with Leon." There was another silence.

"I'm not sleeping with Cloud." Leon said calmly. Everyone seemed to believe them all of a sudden. Cloud frowned—why didn't anyone believe _him_?

"_Yet."_ Leon added as an afterthought.

"When did it start?" Hermione asked pleasantly. Cloud palmed his face.

"Christmas," Sora said. "They kissed right in front of everyone!"

"Alright, enough questions!" Cloud got to his feet and barked, "We said before Christmas that we're giving you part two of our test. We weren't lying. But today we're giving you another chance to redeem yourselves."

Groans echoed off the stone walls. Leon waited until they stopped and said, "The rules are easy. Cloud and I will hide—if any of you can find us within the hour we won't make part two as bad on Monday."

"What's part two going to be?"

Leon said calmly, "You don't want to know."

The class quieted considerably, and Cloud spoke. "Leon and I are allowed to move—the point is to not let yourselves be heard. If you get within forty feet of us, and can see us clearly, just shout or something." He glanced at the less-than-enthusiastic students. He sighed. "Do it or we'll make you train against us with you kendo swords, and I guarantee you that it will _not_ be pleasant."

He nodded at the now bright, sunny faces. "Alright. All of you have to stay here," He pulled a timer out of one of the desk drawers and set it on the desk, "until this goes off. Then you're free to go anywhere in the school _except_ the kitchens, any of the dormitories, any bathrooms, and classrooms where class is being held. Once the hour is over, come back to this spot. …Alright, start."

The timer began to tick, and Cloud leisurely strolled out of the room with Leon right behind him. Once outside, they soundlessly hurried away from the room and up a flight of stairs.

They decided to stay in an empty classroom near the Room of Requirement. If someone got close, they could always hide out in there until they left. Leon pulled Cloud into the classroom and left the door partly open, like some of the others were. Some of the less smart students (cough-Crabbe-and-Goyle-cough) would be momentarily put off by it. After all, what two men would be hiding in a room where the door was open?

Cloud perched behind the door, so he could feel vibrations from any footsteps. They idly stared at something in the room for awhile—they couldn't risk any chatter. The downstairs was obviously being checked first. Eventually, Leon got off of the desk and sat down next to Cloud. If he had to sit here, he could at least enjoy it.

He gently turned Cloud's face with his thumb and leant forward and kissed him. Cloud positioned himself a bit higher on the wall so he wasn't as slouched, and threaded his hands through Leon's hair, pulling him closer. Leon used is favorite trick to get Cloud to open his mouth (a poke to Cloud's collarbone) and slipped his tongue inside.

As Cloud lazily rolled his tongue around Leon's mouth, he heard muffled voices. Leon heard it too, and broke apart to put his ear to the doorway. "Someone's in the next classroom." He pointed to the wall on their left.

Cloud soundlessly got to his feet. They really couldn't do…that…in the middle of something like this. He rapped Leon's skull with his knuckles and crept into the hallway. Their door trick did the…well, trick, Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy were blundering about next door. They could have stayed in the room, but Malfoy was a bit smarter than the other two.

Leon walked past the spot where the door appears three times, his brow furrowed in concentration. When the door appeared, Cloud stole out of the classroom and ducked his way into the Room of Requirement. It once again was the hideout room—complete with beds, water-saving…things…and a board game.

Cloud promptly collapsed on the couch after he stuck his Buster sword against the wall. Leon watched amusedly as Cloud closed his eyes and curled up into a ball. Cloud frowned and said quietly, "I'm not sleeping," and turned his head into the back of the couch. To be frank, he was exhausted. So much embarrassment in one day really took its toll. Cloud's eyebrows furrowed in his sleep.

Leon couldn't take it anymore. Was it really his fault that Cloud looked adorable? He wouldn't say it—he and Cloud both had problems saying things. Leon knew he _wanted_ to say how much he liked the blond on the couch, but it was just so awkward… They really only talked through actions. He quietly walked over to Cloud and bent over and kissed his cheek. Cloud turned and pulled Leon down on top of him.

It was light—neither man wanted it to get too heavy. They couldn't deny the fire that seemed to spread through their veins every time their lips touched, but they didn't really want it to go any further. …Actually…Leon thought that he wouldn't mind it if it went a _bit_ farther. He trailed a hand to the opening of Cloud's shirt, and latched his mouth onto the ticklish spot on Cloud's collarbone. Cloud's eyes bulged and he pushed Leon to the floor. Cloud swore and rolled off the couch to land on top of Leon, knocking the breath out of the brunet.

They heard giggling. Cloud looked up to see Myrtle gazing at them from the couch. She held out her arms and waved them madly. "Don't stop because of me!"

The mood was dead. Brutally murdered. Cloud calmly zipped his shirt up to his chin and helped Leon to his feet. Myrtle looked crestfallen. "…Sure, stop because of the _dead_ girl…"

"Myrtle." Cloud laid back down on the couch. (After Myrtle floated up to the ceiling.) Leon sat on the floor and leant back against the cushions. Hesitantly, he dropped his head until it rested on Cloud's muscled stomach. Cloud absently knocked his fist against Leon's forehead gently and closed his eyes.

Myrtle cooed for a second, but then remembered why she popped out of her toilet in the first place. "Just so you know, there's some new woman in the school. She's talking to Headmaster Dumbledore now, but she was looking for you. Ugly, nasty woman. Oh…and someone probably knows where you are."

"What?" Cloud sat up suddenly.

Myrtle giggled again. "Harry Potter has a map that shows where everyone is. He may not have it on him, but he could…"

Cloud pushed Leon's head to the side and stood. He really didn't want to get caught—stage two would be entertaining. He cracked the door open a bit, and didn't see anyone. But there was that prickling feeling on the back of his neck… He looked to the left and saw a group of Slytherins coming from around the corner. They were grumbling about something, and kept walking. If Harry was around in his Invisibility cloak, Cloud knew he would be able to tell. He sensed Harry that one time outside, and his instincts would only pick him up faster now. Maybe Harry's map couldn't show people in the Room of Requirement?

"See anything?" Leon asked. Cloud shook his head.

"Bye Myrtle." Cloud said, and crept out of the room.

They soundlessly hurried down the hallway and this time, down a flight of stairs. There was still…thirteen minutes to go before they had to return to the classroom. It was too risky to go back to the Room of Requirement—if Harry's map _did_ show that they were there, they were sitting ducks, basically.

Leon stopped suddenly and held Cloud back. They were at a corner—on the other side they could clearly hear Riku and Sora questioning somebody.

"Have you seen a man with blond spiky hair or a brown-haired man with a scar across his face?" Sora asked someone.

"I have not—"

The woman in the painting next to Cloud's face hurried out of her painting. That's who Sora and Riku were asking—paintings!

Leon yanked on Cloud's shoulder and they took off down the opposite hallway. As they turned the corner at the end, they heard the two boys running and could tell they were gazing at the now-empty corridor. If they were just a few seconds slower…

Through another part of the school, and a giant leap down a staircase later, they got a good view of their classroom. Lavender Brown was guarding the doorway—there was no way to get past her without being seen. Leon frowned. What to do… A diversion was needed.

Cloud ducked into the nearest classroom and grabbed a paperweight. He rolled it down the hallway and it struck the opposite wall with a satisfying smack. A vase filled with flowers fell to the floor.

Lavender abandoned her post by the door to investigate, and the chance was here—both men slid into the classroom. Cloud sat on his chair, and Leon sat on the desk as the watch in Cloud's pocket beeped. The hour was over. Lavender returned to the door, her back to them.

After a few minutes, some of the students returned. Everyone was asking everyone else if they saw either Leon or Cloud. They trudged into the classroom, and were shocked to see said men sitting oh-so-nonchalantly at (or on) the desk.

Both Cloud and Leon remained eerily silent until the whole room was full once again. The students shot each other worried looks.

Finally, Leon spoke. "Not one person managed to find us in an _hour_. We even made it back into the classroom without anyone seeing. Tomorrow, be ready for part two."

Once again, someone asked what part two was. Leon gave the same answer. The students were dismissed at the end of the period with nothing more than a "be prepared."

Once everyone left, Cloud sagged in his chair. Leon laid his head on Cloud's shoulder and murmured, "I can't take anymore of this."

Cloud chuckled feebly. "Me neither." He slid forward and let is head hit the desk, pushing Leon's head out of the way.

"Ouch…" Leon held his jaw and decided to just sit next to Cloud. It was safer that way. They stayed in exhausted silence the whole time until their classroom once again filled up.

-------------------------

Later that day, as Leon and Cloud wearily trudged up the steps to their room, neither man tried to think about anything. They were numb, basically. Of their eleven classes that day, six had to go through the 'find Professors Strife and Leonhart' ordeal. Frankly, Cloud's nerves were shot. That didn't happen often, but he was sick of peering around corners and listening for noises. They didn't go back to the Room of Requirement, because it kind of felt like cheating, and because they knew absolutely nothing about Harry's map.

The mumbled "Borgi" to Sir Cadogan was pathetic. Sir Cadogan let them in, but looked at them strangely. Once inside their room, Cloud laid down on their bed and Leon collapsed next to him.

Leon couldn't say exactly why they were so tired—they weren't really getting old—nah, they were in the 'prime of their lives.' Perhaps he wasn't used to dealing with more than one hellion. (Yuffie.)

With a chuckle, Leon closed his eyes. They could get up in a minute…

------------------------

Cloud rolled over and smacked his forehead against the back of Leon's skull. Needless to say, they both woke up. Cloud glanced at the clock sitting on the wall. It was 6:25…

Cloud shook Leon's shoulders forcefully. Leon growled in annoyance. "I'm up, Cloud." He said, before planting a hand on Cloud's chest and pushing.

Cloud hissed, "We have five minutes until dinner."

Leon sprang out of bed and fixed his appearance in the mirror quickly. Cloud held back any "Leon's vain" comments, and they climbed down the ladder and said their good-byes to Sir Cadogan.

There was a good amount of other stragglers—students hurried into the Great Hall, not wanting to be late. The first thing Cloud noticed when he entered the room was the bright pink _blob_ sitting next to Professor Flitwick. In Leon's seat…

Everyone (as in the students) could sense the tension. Leon strode up to the woman and said politely, "You're in my seat."

The woman looked up. Her face was squashed, like a toad… she was the woman from the Three Broomsticks—the one who was with Fudge. Her eyes glinted coldly. She slowly extracted herself from the seat, but not before giving Hagrid a disgusted look. It was obvious she wanted to fight about it, but Dumbledore surveyed them with quiet concentration.

Leon sat down, and so did Cloud. The woman sat down on the other side of the table next to Snape. Cloud raised an eyebrow, and Leon shrugged.

Dumbledore got to his feet, and any talking stopped. He smiled pleasantly and said in his booming voice, "I have a few announcements. I would like to remind all of you of the Quidditch match tomorrow between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Also, Mister Filch wanted me to remind you about the new rules in effect. A list of all banned items can be fo—"

"_Hem-Hem_." The toad-woman cleared her throat loudly. Dumbledore continued like he hadn't heard.

"…Be found taped to the door to Filch's office. I implore you to take a loo—"

"_Hem-Hem!_" The toad-lady stood up. Dumbledore watched her with wide eyes for a second, and then sat down and folded his fingers.

The school was in shock. How dare this…pink blob interrupt Dumbledore?"

"I am Dolores Umbridge," She said in an obnoxiously high-pitched voice. "I was scheduled to come much, _much _earlier in the year, but the…parameters of my neediness were reached. I was no longer needed. But considering the…recent events and false truths out there, the Ministry decided that I was indeed, needed." She continued like this for awhile.

Leon and Cloud grew angrier by the second. This woman…she was rotten. Rotten to her black, cold, dark core.

As she finished, the sleepy-looking students became aware of their surroundings again. A few students clapped lightly out of politeness, but only a few times. Umbridge sat back down in her seat with a smile on her face.

It was funny—Dumbledore could give the same smile, but with him, it was genuine. Nice, caring. With Umbridge, something about the cruel glint in her eyes kind of gave you the impression that she was not a good person.

-At the Gryffindor table—

Ron looked at Hermione's angry face and the vein throbbing in Riku's temple.

"Um…what did it all mean?"

Hermione said coldly, "It means that the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."

-----------------

After dinner, Leon and Cloud retreated to their room. They hastily grabbed a few potions and the like and strode out of the school to the Quidditch field. Ever since their giant brawl there that one day, they had been training there. It almost felt like they were back in the Olympus Coliseum. It must've been the seats, or something.

A short while later, both men entered the school happy and exhausted. Leon took his nighttime shower, and Cloud read a bit more of Hogwarts, a History.

When Leon emerged, he helped Cloud into his t-shirt and they crawled under the covers.

------------------

The next morning, Cloud woke up with a faint frown on his face. The frown deepened as he unhooked Leon's arms from around his waist and gently shook the man awake. He had a bad feeling.

Cloud remained silent during the walk to the Great Hall. Leon was curious, but he knew better than to ask. Cloud would tell him when he was ready. When Leon pushed the doors to the Great Hall open, Cloud's frown disappeared for a few seconds, but then he just looked confused and raised an eyebrow.

After they got in, Cloud trailed a bit behind Leon as they walked in-between the tables. His bad feeling got worse when he entered the Great Hall. Umbridge sat at the table with a smirk on her face, but somehow Cloud's instincts told him that yes, Umbridge was trouble, but she wasn't the bad thing.

Suddenly, a flash of pain flew through his body. He could hear his heart throb.

…What was going on? He was dimly aware of falling to his knees and vomiting on the floor. People were yelling things, but one voice was louder than the others. It was a boy…screaming. He was screaming too. His wing…he could see it in the corners of his vision. It was going haywire. Leon was at his side, saying something, but Cloud's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he didn't hear anything else.

------------------

Harry remembered sitting at the Gryffindor table. Professor Leonhart and Professor Strife came into the room…and that's where his memory ended.

He was currently sitting in a stiff-backed chair at a desk, facing a doorway. The room was dark and gave off a very creepy aura.

The doorknob turned and a very…_noticeable_ man walked into the room. He had very long, straight, silvery hair, and his shirt clung to very pronounced abs and muscles.

He smirked at the petrified boy sitting in the chair and sat down in a chair opposite him.

"Are you Harry Potter?" He asked in a deep voice. Harry nodded jerkily and he chuckled.

"My name is Sephiroth. My…_partner_ has a very prominent _interest_ in you. It is harder for him to get to you, and it is very hard for me to get to your dear Professor Strife. But the other way around, it is quite easy." Sephiroth knew he wasn't supposed to give out that particular bit of information, but he didn't really care. Voldemort wasn't in the room, now was he?

He reached out, and with a slender finger touched Harry's scar. Harry was expecting blinding pain, but there was only a dull ache. Sephiroth smiled again.

He said slowly, "I have taken an interest in you too, Harry."

Harry faded from the scene and re-appeared in a completely different place. Sephiroth was there, the city was in pieces, and Sephiroth was clearly insane. Harry felt bile rise in his throat. He didn't want to see this…

----------------------

Cloud opened his eyes slowly. He was slumped on the floor with his back against a cold, damp wall. He groggily looked up. It was a relatively small room—a dusty window, a desk…_the same one from before._

But rather than the mindless fear that flooded his body like last time, Cloud was quiet and calm. He was a bit nervous, but he pushed any fear to the back of his mind and allowed his SOLDIER instincts to push through. The window was obviously an escape point, as was the door on one side of the room. For now though, he would have to sit and wait.

He couldn't very well jump out the window—what if he was hundreds of feet above the ground? Cloud tried to calm down and sit still.

Slowly, the chair in the center of the room turned. Sitting in it was the man from before—slits for eyes, and skin paler than a sheet. He folded his long fingers and smiled. A thick snake coiled itself around his leg.

"So…we meet again, Cloud Strife." He rasped. Cloud didn't say anything.

"I presume…you know why you are here?" He asked. His hands clenched, and his nails dug into his palm. "I want Potter."

Cloud's eyes widened a bit, betraying his otherwise-indifferent demeanor.

Voldemort continued. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I am Voldemort. And I know you are in contact with Potter—"

Someone knocked on the door. A voice said, "M-Master. Potter is in the next room, you said you would like to be informed…"

Something broke. Cloud felt himself being lifted into the air and fading into the wall. It seemed that whatever means Voldemort was using to keep him there wasn't working anymore. Voldemort yelled something, but the words were replaced with someone saying his name.

Cloud's eyes opened, and he once again saw worried blue-grey eyes inches from his own. Leon had Cloud in his lap, and worried students glanced alternatively at him and something on the other side of the room. Dumbledore was saying something into some sort of magical device in a rushed tone.

Cloud remembered the voice from outside of the room. _"Potter is in the next room…"_

Cloud rolled off of Leon's lap and stood up shakily. He stumbled across the room and saw Harry lying in a similar position, only Hermione cradled his head and Ron bit his lip. Harry was mumbling something. Cloud dropped to his knees.

Harry was saying, "Stop it, stop it, stop it," repeatedly. Cloud grasped Harry's arm, and with a jolt he _knew_. Somehow, Harry was watching Sephiroth at his worst.

Cloud drew back a hand and slapped Harry across the face. Several students gasped. Harry's eyes opened slowly. He looked up at Cloud and put a hand to his cheek. He sat up and mumbled a thanks.

A hand placed itself on both Cloud and Harry's shoulders, and they looked up to see Professor McGonagall looming over them.

She said sternly, "You two. To the Hospital wing, now."

She shook off their "I'm fine" statements, and pointed at the door.

Cloud and Harry started towards the door. Professor McGonagall knew without saying anything that Leon was going to follow, but didn't quite count on Sora, Kairi, Yuffie and Riku's obstinacy, and Ron and Hermione's refusal to stay.

Professor McGonagall's protests didn't stop them from going, anyway. All nine left the room amid hushed chattering.

Umbridge said softly, "Fake episodes?" She made a note on her clipboard. Next to Cloud's name she scribbled 'Probably Insane' and chuckled to herself.

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**Cloud keeps passing out, huh? Makes you feel a bit bad for him... ; )**

**You know what to do, people! REVIEW!**

**Next chapter: Leon and Cloud give part two, Leon and Cloud try flying, and Sirius makes his entrance. **


	9. Chapter 9

**This is (and hopefully will stay) the shortest chapter. The next two are kind of lengthy, so bear with me. : )**

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—In the hallway—

After a few seconds of worried silence, Cloud turned to Leon and said quietly, "What happened?"

Leon frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. "It was the same as last time. You passed out, said a few words, and your wing went crazy." He glanced at the leathery appendage.

"There's a problem," Harry said to Cloud in an urgent tone. "This guy, Sephiroth, he's after you, Professor—"

Cloud wistfully looked at the ceiling and bit his lip. "…I know. Tell us what happened to you."

Harry said a bit nervously, "I was in a dark room. Sephiroth came in and started talking to me. Somehow, he can't talk to you, and Voldemort—" Ron cringed. "—He can't get to me. He did something weird, and I saw him killing all those people…" He trailed off, and swallowed thickly.

Cloud put a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed. He knew all too well what Harry felt like. He turned his head to Leon again. "It's a fact Sephiroth is unable to get to me and Voldemort, to Harry. They've broke apart and are focusing on the other's target. They're in the same place." He bit his lip again. Relaying information was good, but it didn't actually do _anything_. Leon sensed Cloud's restlessness, and clasped his hand around Cloud's and squeezed. Cloud squeezed back.

Madam Pomfrey insisted that they lie down, but Cloud refused to. She forced a huge hunk of chocolate down his throat, though. When he finished choking, she told him that he was free to go.

They bade farewell to Harry's well-wishers, (Harry was fine, just a little disgruntled) and left. The rest of the school was heading down to the Quidditch field, but Cloud and Leon retreated to their classroom for a few minutes.

Cloud sat in their desk chair, occasionally tipping it back and staring at the ceiling. Leon was leaning against the wall and studying his blond friend. Cloud didn't seem to notice.

"What happened?" Leon asked softly. Cloud slightly turned his head to look at him. His eyes were faintly troubled. Leon pushed himself off of the wall and sat on the desk so he was facing Cloud.

"It was…" Cloud looked at the floor. "Voldemort…he was there."

Leon's eyes widened. Voldemort…this wasn't good. He gently lifted Cloud's chin so Cloud would look at him. He let his hand fall, but Cloud kept his eyes locked with Leon's.

"He's after Harry. And Sephiroth wants me…I told you—"

"Cloud," Leon said sternly. They were staying, they agreed on that. Cloud's eyes flickered to the floor again, and he nodded minutely.

…Damn. Leon knew he was as good at expressing himself as a rock. He _wanted_ to make Cloud feel better, but he didn't know how. Rather than talking, he gestured towards the doorway and said, "Let's go watch the Quidditch match."

They strolled around in the cold winter air for a while before heading towards the Quidditch pitch. It felt good to be outside, and forget about darkness and evil wizards for a bit.

--------------------

When the Quidditch stands came into sight, Cloud and Leon could clearly see Madam Hooch striding onto the field. She made the captains shake hands, and blew her whistle. The players soared into the air. Leon led Cloud up the back of one of the sections of seats and sat down on one of the benches in the back.

Quidditch really was fun to watch—Cloud chuckled whenever someone got hit with a bludger. It might have seemed a tad mean, but Cloud knew how fast those bludgers were going. The players just didn't have fast reflexes.

They watched the rest of the match in amicable silence; Leon occasionally leant forward and whispered death threats to Lee Jordan, however. When the game was over, (Ravenclaw won by 110 points) Leon and Cloud ambled back up to Hogwarts.

Cloud's bad feeling was virtually gone; he doubted much else could be worse than what happened that morning. But, he still felt a little persistent nagging in the back of his head.

When they entered the school, Cloud immediately realized what was wrong. Hung virtually on _every _wall of Hogwarts, was an official-looking paper bearing a wax seal. Cloud stared at one.

"High Inquisitor?" He asked. Leon looked at the paper. Was this what the hag was doing during the Quidditch game? Declaring herself 'High Inquisitor'?

Everyone had questions. According to the paper, the Minister of Magic himself granted her the right to be Inquisitor. She "evaluated teachers," among other things. To Leon, it seemed that she basically made a nuisance of herself.

Throughout the rest of the day, whenever Leon or Cloud caught sight of another professor, they noticed that their colleagues all had the same expression—anger, confusion, and most of all, annoyance. Umbridge was irritating, sure, but for now, she didn't affect either man too much. In fact, they barely even saw her.

-------------------

On Sunday afternoon, Cloud and Leon left to go train a bit earlier than usual. As was their new habit, they went to the Quidditch field. The air was cold—Leon was actually wearing a few long-sleeved layers beneath his jacket. You couldn't even _dodge_ in a cloak, let alone wield a sword, so they didn't bother.

An hour later, both men were laying down in the grass. Cloud had collapsed to the ground first, and Leon fell on top of him seconds after. They both tried to get air into their lungs, but Cloud found it a bit difficult with a bunch of Leon Leonhart on your chest. He pushed the brunet off with a scowl and got to his feet.

From their right, someone started clapping. A few others joined, too. Some students were sitting in the stands, obviously here to watch Gryffindor train.

Speaking of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, they came out of the locker rooms fully robed, and hurried onto the field. Wood greeted them.

"Hello Professors! Are you here to observe?"

"…I guess," Cloud said. He gestured at Harry's Firebolt, and Harry let him take it. He ran his hand up and down the wood (Leon gulped. He actually would prefer the same hand motion somewhere…ah, private. He looked away before he did something stupid.) …and said, "How does it work?" He handed it back.

"It's easy!" Wood exclaimed. He placed his broom at Leon's feet, and Harry put his Firebolt next to Cloud.

"Hold out your hand and say, 'up.'"

Cloud was merely curious; he didn't really expect a demonstration. Nevertheless, he said "Up", and it shot up into his hand. The same thing happened to Leon.

Fred and George showed them the proper way to mount the broom, and they hesitantly sat down. It was kind of awkward—they were…_big_ men sitting on a thin piece of wood that was wedged between their legs. Leon remembered only too well what happened the last time anything tree-related was this close to…him.

"Okay, kick!" Wood cried.

Cloud kicked off of the ground with all his might and soared away into the sky like a bullet. Leon stared at the shrinking black speck and sighed. With much more caution, he nervously kicked.

After wobbling precariously for a few seconds, he rose straight into the air. He tried a few tentative circles, but quickly stopped. His little problem was _raging_ now, it was almost painful to move the broom at all. He stayed still, and decided to just watch Cloud for now.

Cloud was loving this—a broom didn't quite compare to Fenrir's speed, but he couldn't say that Fenrir could go up into the air like this. He noticed Leon staying still, and his face looked like he had just swallowed a lemon.

Cloud zoomed over to Leon and looked at him strangely. "What's wrong?"

Leon shook his head and stared at Cloud's hands, which were holding Wood's broom. Leon clapped a hand to his forehead and looked away quickly. Cloud raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

They stayed in the air for a minute or so longer before dropping down. They didn't want to take _too_ much time out of the Gyffindors' practice time. Wood was amazed that they did so well. (Even Leon.)

In a very good mood, Cloud dragged Leon (who said he had to 'go to the bathroom', but Cloud told him to suck it up) over to the stands, where they joined Ron, Hermione, Riku, Sora, Kairi, Yuffie and Luna Lovegood, and sat down to relax.

--------------------

Today, (Monday) Harry's first class was Divination. Umbridge was there—she kind of set everyone on edge. No one had really seen her up close yet. She walked around and 'tsked' at the room as she scribbled things into her clipboard.

Professor Trelawney was on edge—she jerkily piled books onto the table. Umbridge set her sights on Trelawney's stressed out face, and everyone knew. It would be a _long_ day.

--------------------

When Harry and his classmates walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts, Leon greeted them. Cloud was nowhere to be found. Leon waited until everyone was seated before giving the evil eye. No one spoke for a minute, and Leon practically _oozed_ cold disappointment. The students shifted slightly under his piercing gaze.

Finally, Leon said, "On Friday I told you to be ready for part two of our test. I wasn't lying." He paused and stared at the ceiling. "…It's not so much part of the test, it's…more of a punishment for your abysmal performance."

Cloud entered the room with two giant buckets of something that he hid from the students with a black sheet over both the tops.

"We're going outside," Leon said firmly. As expected, the class protested.

"It's freezing!" Sora yelled.

"We know." Leon smirked and strode out the door.

Out in the courtyard, everyone huddled together closely in an attempt to stave off the worst of the cold. Cloud grinned—they would be even colder soon.

Leon addressed them all. "We've said it once, we'll say it again. Stealth. Quietness. Cunning. All things that most of you lack. Everyone, spread out in a circle thirty feet around Cloud and I." He nodded at Cloud, and the blond tore off the cover of the buckets. Inside were _lots_ of…water balloons?

Leon spoke over the confused chatter. "You have to try to escape, but if we hear you make any noise at all, we're throwing a balloon at you. Think about it this way—would you rather have a water balloon hit you because you're too loud, or a Death Eater kills you?"

The class was silent. Cloud smirked and tied a blindfold around Leon's eyes like last time. "Spread out," He ordered.

Once everyone was the required distance away, Cloud helped Leon sit down and sat so his back was against Leon's. With a glare at his students, Cloud tied his blindfold over his own eyes and reached for the bucket to his right.

"Begin!" Cloud called.

Not a sound was made for a full minute. Obviously, everyone that that if they stayed completely still, they wouldn't be found.

"I forgot to mentions," Leon drawled, "You have five minutes to get away, or we're going to take off the blindfolds and just throw balloons at you."

Almost immediately, faint footsteps could be heard. Leon smirked, drew back his arm, and threw. With a smack, his balloon hit a student, and a shrill scream echoed through the courtyard.

The other students had obviously seen—Professors Leonhart and Strife were not kidding around. The balloon had hit Parvati like a bullet. The girl was shivering and pathetically trying to warm her hands.

In the next few minutes, Leon and Cloud almost constantly let loose 'The Water Balloons of Doom'. As their eyes were covered, their other senses were much more acute than normal. Leon's senses were usually better than average, and Cloud's were exceptional.

But now…Cloud could hear every sharp intake of breath and throw a balloon at the source of the noise, too. It usually hit—they were much too fast to dodge easily, even at a distance. His aim was spot on, too.

The timer in Leon's jacket beeped. He pushed up the blindfold to survey the damage. And what damage it was…

Everyone was soaked. Well…everyone except for Yuffie. She _was_ a _ninja_, after all. She was clumsy, but when she needed to be, stealth and quietness were her forte.

Leon led the angry, frozen students back inside. In the classroom, Leon ignored their complaints and spoke over them.

"We're going to spend some more time on this," Leon said to the mortification of everyone under sixteen in the room, "but later. You can go."

He waved them away, and everyone hurried away to go put on some dry clothes. Cloud watched them leave from his place on the edge of the desk, and immediately shivered once the last student left. He couldn't help it—it was _cold_ outside. That shiver was threatening to escape for awhile, but he didn't let himself shiver. It wouldn't do for the students to know that he was cold, would it?

Leon walked over to Cloud, who was staring at a far-off place out the door. He sat on the desk behind Cloud and wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist. Cloud relaxed and let his head tip backwards onto Leon's shoulder.

"Cold?" Leon murmured.

Cloud breathed in deeply and exhaled. He shook his head no. He wasn't even that cold to begin with, his suppressed shudder outside just…had to get out. And now he was _really_ warm—Leon was warmer than any jacket of his.

Leon smirked and tightened his grip. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Cloud rested and concentrated on breathing in and out, and Leon buried his face in Cloud's neck and tried to not think about anything. Slowly, Leon tilted Cloud's face with his hand.

Cloud smiled faintly as Leon pressed his lips to his. It was strange—this was perhaps the most gentle and chaste kiss they had shared yet. Cloud threaded his hands through as much of Leon's hair that he could reach.

Leon bit Cloud's lip, and Cloud opened his mouth in welcome. Leon wanted to memorize every part of Cloud's mouth, but Cloud fought back. He hadn't really expected Cloud to give in that easily, anyway.

Leon's hand crept under Cloud's shirt; he grinned into the kiss when he felt Cloud's toned abs twitch.

"Sorry to disturb you Professors, but—" There was a very high-pitched shriek, and a girl's voice said, "I-I'm so sorry! I'll come back l-later!"

Cloud broke apart from Leon and said calmly, "It's alright, Hermione. Come back."

Hermione slid back into the room; her face was redder than a tomato. She flushed further when she saw the position they were in—Cloud leant back on the very edge of the desk, Leon sat fully on the desk and let his legs fall on either side of Cloud's hips, and you couldn't not notice the arm that Leon lazily wrapped around Cloud's waist. He rested his chin on Cloud's shoulder.

"I actually have a few things to talk to you about," She said as she tried to regain her composure. Hermione was a bit shocked—both men weren't exactly embarrassed about their relationship, but they didn't go out of their way to make it…publicly known. She supposed that they were just normally relaxed around her.

"In regards to S.P.E.W, I just wanted to thank you for wearing the pins. Lots of people have become interested, thanks to you." On a more serious note, she said, "I know my opinion doesn't amount to much, but I think you should Dumbledore about what happened earlier this week. He was really thoughtful, and Dumbledore always helps us with any problems. He's the only one Voldemort ever feared, you know."

Cloud thought for a minute. He didn't really think that he needed 'help' just yet, but it was good to know that Hermione cared. "Thanks, Hermione," Cloud said simply.

Hermione shifted slightly. "Um…one more thing. You're aware that Voldemort is back, right? Obviously you do, so I'll tell you. There's a resistance known as The Order of the Phoenix."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Leon repeated.

"Yes. I won't say anymore, I don't think I'm allowed to…but… I think you can be trusted enough to join." She chuckled. "You almost _have_ to join because of your wing, Professor. Anyway, I expect that someone will talk to you about it soon enough." Hermione glanced at the clock above the door.

"Oh! I really must be going…"

They gave a short wave, and Hermione turned around in the doorway. "Oh yes… I thought today's lesson was a rather good one, regardless of the cold. It—It's important to learn how to fight," She said, determined.

Cloud nodded and watched her leave. He once again leant his head on Leon's shoulder. "She's a good kid…" He murmured.

"Yeah…" Leon exhaled slowly. "The Order of the Phoenix…a whole group against Voldemort…"

Cloud yawned. "…They'll have to include Sephiroth…"

Leon chuckled, and they stayed still until the kids began to pile into their classroom again.

-------------------

That night, Sora, Riku, Harry and Ron sat in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, and tried to not think about how late it was. As usual, they opted to spar and play Wizard's chess instead of doing their homework, and now they were paying for it.

They worked silently, getting drowsier and drowsier from the heat of the fireplace. Eventually, Ron yawned loudly. "S-Screw it, I'm going to sleep…"

Harry let his head hit the table with a thunk. "…Me too. I just can't stay up any longer."

Riku and Sora watched them leave with mild amusement. Now they were alone… Riku sat on one of the more comfortable squashy chairs in front of the fireplace, and Sora plopped himself next to Riku, and curled into a ball. They often did their homework together like this—it was just…comfortable. For the next forty-five minutes, only the occasional question and the scratching of a quill could be heard.

Finally, Sora dropped his things to the floor and leant his head on Riku's shoulder. Riku also finished and gazed into the fire.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora asked.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think about Kairi? She and Seamus are starting to get really close."

"…I'm not sure. If they start going out, where does that leave us?" Riku added the kicked-puppy tone to his voice. "Left to rot in the dirt."

"Ew." Sora laughed.

Riku looked at Sora. His eyes were closed as he unconsciously snuggled into his arm. Really…where _did_ that leave them? Sora, Kairi and himself had been together ever since Kairi moved to Destiny Islands…even when they fought the Heartless, and even against each other, they were still together, if only in their hearts. If Kairi began dating Seamus…what were they supposed to do, go find dates for themselves?

If the question was given to Leon and Cloud, the answer would be easy. Go out with each other!

…But it wasn't going to work like that here. Riku envied them a little bit. They loved each other a lot…and they didn't really care what anyone thought. He envied them because…the one he was pretty sure he wanted…

Riku gazed at Sora's relaxed form. It was hard to believe it, but they had grown even _closer_ together at Hogwarts. Maybe even close enough…No. Riku's courage failed.

Wait! Was he going to be like Cloud and Leon, helplessly in love with the other, but to awkward and confused by their emotions to do anything about it? No! Hell, those two were the source of _many_ a bout of laughter. It was funny, the way they looked at each other…

Riku paled. What if…he had been doing the same thing? He had vowed to himself that he would _never_ be that clueless and stupid…but what if… Riku summoned up all his strength and set his jaw.

"…Sora…" He whispered.

Sora opened his almost ethereal-blue eyes and stared at Riku. "What?"

Riku prayed to the gods that he wouldn't be rejected, and dipped his head forward. He could feel Sora tense.

His first kiss with Sora…was…wow. He couldn't breathe, but he couldn't stop. Sora very quickly got over his shock, and just as quickly melted in Riku's arms.

"R-Riku…" Sora mumbled when they broke apart for air. "I-I don't…" His voice faded away, and he pulled Riku back down, giggling a little bit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw a black object appear in the flames. Quickly, he ripped his mouth away from Sora's, and turned his head. Sitting in the fireplace of the Gryffindor common room, was a very human-looking head.

"You have fast reflexe—I say! You're both boys!" The man looked surprised.

Sora was entranced. He slid off of the chair and knelt forward. He was about to touch the flames, but Riku jerked him backwards.

"Who are you?" Riku asked suspiciously.

The man chuckled. "You're right to be wary. I'm Sirius Black. I've been popping in every now and them, but you finally caught me."

Sora said energetically, "I'm Sora, and this is Riku. Aren't you Harry's godfather?"

Sirius smiled. "That I am. Is he asleep?"

Sora nodded. Sirius sighed. "Hey…if you're friends of Harry, I'm sure he would have told me about you…are you new?"

Sora nodded again.

"If Harry's asleep, I'll try again another day. Just between the three of us, I'd like it if you didn't tell anyone I'm in the fireplace—"

"Wait! Just how _are_ you in the fireplace?" Sora interrupted.

Sirius laughed. "Floo powder." To himself he muttered, "It's actually pretty risky, I might get caught if they're watching the Floo network. The Order warned me against doing this sort of thing…"

"The Order?"

Sirius blinked. Obviously, he had not expected to be overheard. "The Order of the Phoenix is the full name. We work with Dumbledore and Aurors to try and raise resistance to Voldemort. We're trying to get more members at the moment…"

"Resistance to Voldemort? What about Sephiroth? They're working together now…" Sora explained.

Sirius looked up sharply. "Sephiroth? Is that his name? I was aware that Voldemort has an accomplice, but I didn't know his name."

"Yeah. Sephiroth." Riku confirmed. "He's not Voldemort's accomplice—they're equals."

Sirius looked defeated. "With a whole new enemy…it's hopeless. We have next to no members…" Sirius paused. "Sorry for bothering you like this, I'm not usually this talkative…"

Sora got an idea. "You need more members, right?"

"You're too young," Sirius said flatly. Sora was only slightly put-off.

"Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, they'd probably be happy to join. Cloud is Sephiroth's…main objective. He's been fighting Sephiroth for a while now."

"Really?" Sirius sounded hopeful. "Where are they?"

"One of the apartments in the North Tower," Riku said.

Sirius thanked them and was about to leave, but Sora stopped him. "If they're having sex, try again later." He giggled.

Sirius looked confused, but nodded. With a final goodbye, he withdrew his head from the flames, and Riku and Sora were alone again.

"…That was weird," Riku said flatly. He glanced at Sora, who was averting his gaze. "…And where were we before?"

------------------------

Cloud and Leon were having a late night too. Neither man was really tired, so Leon cleaned his Gunblade at his desk, and Cloud lounged on their bed and fiddled with his Rubik's cube.

An ominous shape appeared in the flames. You could say that Leon was slightly on edge—he swung his now-gleaming Gunblade within milliseconds of seeing it appear. Cloud sat up curiously.

Leon blinked. A man was in the fireplace, but he didn't seem to be affected by the flames. "Who are you?"

Sirius grinned at the point of the Gunblade in his face. "Very fast. Even faster than Riku."

Cloud got up, and padded over to where Leon was crouched. He knelt down beside him. "You know Riku?"

The man nodded. "My name is Sirius Black. I'm Harry's godfather." He winked at them.

"Cloud."

"Leon."

"Well, Cloud, Leon, I'm here to talk to you about the Order of the Phoenix. We're looking for new support all the time, and I think you can help us." He quietly said to himself, "Recruiting members is apparently all I'm good for."

Cloud's enhanced hearing caught the words, but he didn't comment. Sirius sighed. "We fight against the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and now Sephiroth. We take orders from Dumbledore." His voice was cold.

Leon thought. An organization that fought Voldemort and Sephiroth was certainly a good thing, but he didn't know if he could trust a man that mysteriously showed up in his fireplace. He didn't say anything for this reason.

Sirius noticed. "You're right to be wary. Someone will contact you in person soon. Keep it in the back of your mind for later. He turned and snickered lightly. "I was told to try again later if the two of you were having sex." He flashed them a toothy grin, and with that, Sirius disappeared into the flames.

For a few seconds, Cloud stared into the now-empty flames. Then he shrugged and resumed his position on the bed. Leon gently placed his Gunblade next to Cloud's Buster sword on the wall.

Leon laid down next to Cloud, and turned off the light. As expected, within thirty seconds Cloud hugged Leon tight around the middle. Leon held him back.

"Hermione was right—we're pretty popular right now, aren't we?" Leon chuckled a bit.

Cloud nodded briefly, and promptly buried his face in Leon's neck. It was indeed, time to sleep.

* * *

**Please Review and thanks so much everyone who has reviewed so far!**

**Next Chapter: Cloud demonstrates his manliness, Leon shows his skills with a chair (even if he's tied to it), Umbridge surveys Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Leon and Cloud have some late-night visitors.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten. :D**

* * *

"Tch." Leon watched Umbridge stroll into the Great Hall, clipboard in hand. How he _hated_ that woman! Somehow, she gained to right to examine the other professors. What was up with that? The only thing she really did was give insults and write in her clipboard. It was annoying, to say the least.

Cloud idly pushed his food around on his plate. They had escaped Umbridge's wrath thus far, but he didn't think they were going to get away for any longer.

It was one week after Sirius's fireplace-conversation. They had yet to hear anything else. Perhaps soon…

Ever since that night, Riku and Sora started acting strangely. They constantly looked at each other and laughed, looked at each other and left to go somewhere, or looked at each other and examined how close Leon was standing to Cloud, or if any of their body parts were touching in any way. It was weird. They obviously had a secret that everyone knew about but them.

After breakfast, they retreated to their classroom. Cloud fiddled with a quill. He wasn't _nervous_, per-say, he just didn't relish the fat-toad-cow breathing down his neck. He heard stories—Sora said that she had Trelawney almost in hysterics. Professor McGonagall didn't take any of her crap, but that was expected. Professor McGonagall was usually uptight and stern; the only ones she seemed to relax around were Leon and himself.

"What do you think Umbridge will do?" He asked Leon, but continued staring at the wall. He swiveled around in his chair to look at Leon. He almost jumped out of his skin—Leon was leaning on the desk, his face only about a half-foot away. He toppled out of the chair and hit the ground with a bang.

Leon snorted. Cloud was just so fun to watch—he could spend all day watching the curve of his neck, the way his chest rose and fell, his lips… Leon watched Cloud grumble.

Cloud scowled and pulled himself back into the chair. "Don't do that," he mumbled.

"Don't do what?" Leon asked, feigning innocence.

Cloud looked away. "Stare at me like that. It's weird."

Leon stood up and crossed the room. He sat on the desk as he usually did, and said, "But I like looking at you." He tilted Cloud's face with his hand and turned Cloud's head so he could see each side of his face.

Cloud scowled again and pulled away. "Well, stop."

Leon grinned. "Alright, alright…" He leant forward. Cloud closed his eyes and waited for the kiss that came every time Leon did that. Nothing happened. Cloud opened his eyes and gaped confusedly at Leon, who was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room, amusement written all over his face.

"G-Go to hell, Leonhart," Cloud said. He looked away and felt his face burn. He reached up with one hand and gave Leon the finger.

Leon laughed. "I'll be back," he said as he walked towards the door, "don't miss me too much."

Cloud gave him the finger again and hid his face.

----------------

Yes. Oh yes. Cloud had a plan. A plan to get back at Leon for leaving him hanging like that. Cloud imagined how ridiculous he looked with his lips raised as he waited for a kiss that didn't come. He was furious with himself. No one could ever know about that—he was worse than a teenage girl who was infatuated with her boyfriend.

Gah, he got embarrassed just _thinking_ about it. What did Leon think? That he was desperate, and pining after him? Cloud berated himself silently. What the fuck was _wrong_ with him? He would get Leon back if it was the last thing he did.

Leon had been gone for about five minutes; there was still half an hour before the students came. Cloud grabbed his Buster sword from his office and positioned himself by the doorway.

After a minute or two, Leon's footsteps were audible. Cloud slightly backed up a little bit and raised his sword. This was going to be _fun_. He waited until Leon was just a few feet away and tightened his grip.

"I got you a—"

Cloud shouted, "Stop!" Leon froze in the doorway. He had a cup of something in his hands—Leon had jerked backwards when Cloud sprung from behind the door, and the liquid almost sloshed out. Luckily (and a bit unluckily) for Leon, Cloud had cast Stop in time to stop him from getting soaked.

Cloud smugly slid in front of the frozen man. Leon couldn't move, but somehow his eyes spoke for him. They were saying 'Unfreeze me right now or you will regret it.'

He had no such intentions. Cloud's Stop was exceptionally long-lived, but it didn't last forever. He darted to the office and procured a few long, thick ropes. Leon's eyes widened in alarm. Damn, Stop was already wearing off…

Cloud took the cup from Leon's grip, and watched as the liquid became normal again. He set it on the table, picked Leon up around his middle, and carried him through the room with a little bit of difficulty. He could feel the anger radiating off the older man. Too bad. He gently set Leon in the chair behind their desk and tied his wrists to the chair. Leon's ankles were next—then for good measure, he wound one around Leon's waist a few times. He stood back to admire his work. Leon looked furious, yes, but something was missing…

Cloud took out his wand and grinned evilly. He pointed it at Leon's throat. Leon's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. _"Silenceo," _Cloud whispered.

He sat on the desk cross-legged and waited for Stop to wear off. Leon's chest slowly started moving in and out again, but he didn't thrash around in his chair like a wild animal. Cloud didn't really expect him to. Leon stayed still and watched him calmly.

Cloud put his chin in his hand and thought. What could he do now? Torture seemed a little extreme—all Leon did was leave him embarrassed, and he made a _fool_ of himself… Cloud was angry all over again. Leon's indifferent gaze faltered for a moment.

He would prove to Leon that he wasn't desperate for his touch. He would prove to himself that he _was_, in fact, the dominant one in this relationship! With a smug half-smile, Cloud slid off of the desk and plopped himself into Leon's lap. All dominant ones sat in the other's lap, right?

Cloud stared into Leon's eyes. Leon looked back with his face completely void of emotion. Leon was actually pretty confused—he comes into the room, Cloud freezes him and then ties him to a chair! Then, the blond straddles his lap! He had no clue what was going on in Cloud's head.

Cloud frowned and crushed his lips to Leon's. If Leon could move, he would have thrown Cloud to the floor and followed in a heartbeat. As it was, all he could do was try to not let Cloud get the upper hand too much. After all—he was determined to prove that _he_ was the dominate one, regardless of what Cloud thought.

Everything was a battle—Cloud would forcibly yank Leon's head back by his hair, only for Leon to bite Cloud's lip—hard. Their tongues smashed into each other again and again. Cloud was getting angry again—how was it that even though he was pulling Leon's hair and pressing him into the chair, Leon had the upper hand? His head was spinning, and he didn't like it.

Leon rocked the chair forward, and then backwards and to the right. They fell sideways, and Leon twisted and pinned Cloud to the ground _in a chair_.

Cloud struggled for a minute, but then Leon began to trail kisses down his neck. It was just like that time in the Room of Requirement—only this time, he couldn't push Leon to the ground. _He_ was already on it, and Leon held his wrists to the ground somehow while still being _tied to a chair_.

Leon bit down lightly, and Cloud's eyes bulged larger than they did last time. This feeling was completely new—pleasure spread to every inch of his body and back. He weakly tried to shove Leon of, but his willpower was rapidly fading. He just felt so…

Leon moved to Cloud's weak spot—the place that helped him win their competition, and one of his very favorite parts of Cloud's body. (All the ones he had seen, anyway.)

When he attached his mouth to it, Cloud let out a breathy moan and arched his back upwards. If anything, Cloud was more surprised than Leon was.

Leon smirked into Cloud's neck, and kept his mouth there. Cloud quite thought that he was going to lose his mind.

----------------

Cloud fought the urge to moan out loud, and on the inside he cursed Leon's existence. D-Dammit, no one was allowed to make him come apart like this. He was still amazed how Leon's lips managed to leave his collarbone and travel to lick his earlobe…_Still __**tied to a chair. **_Needless to say, his plan wasn't going _quite_ as planned.

He summoned up the last of his strength and wiggled out from underneath Leon. With a slight push, the chair tipped sideways, and Leon was forced to look at the stone wall.

Cloud sat in embarrassed silence for a minute. With a sigh, he got up and knelt down in front of Leon. He pulled the chair back up and untied Leon's wrists. As Leon turned his wrists to get some feeling back in them, Cloud undid the silence spell. Leon gave him a knowing smirk.

"You see, Cloud? No matter what you do, I still win." He wiggled the chair closer to him. "Accept it."

Cloud scowled and suddenly pointed the wand against Leon's throat. "Silenceo." He grinned at Leon's stricken look.

Light footsteps came from the hallway. Cloud thrust the chair into the desk, which knocked the breath out of Leon. Cloud checked his appearance. His clothes were a little rumpled, but not to the extent where people could guess that he and Leon were just making out on the floor.

None other than Dolores Umbridge walked into the room. She gave Leon a disapproving glance, and gave Cloud a positively _venomous_ one. Her eyes swept the classroom with distaste, and she took out her ever-famous clipboard.

"As you both know, I'm here to rate you on your performance." She finished talking in her high-pitched girly voice and her gaze settled on Cloud. She started at something on his chest for a minute, and her eyes flickered back up to his face. She slowly looked at Leon, who sat at the desk, and her eyes didn't leave Leon's face for a full minute.

Umbridge slowly wrote a sentence or to in the clipboard. She walked to a corner of the room and sat down on a chair. "Don't mind me," she said 'sweetly', "Pretend I'm not here."

"…Alright…" Cloud faced away from her and looked at Leon. He considered untying him now, but Umbridge would probably chalk it up as 'abuse' or something like that. It was best that she didn't know for now.

He perched on the edge of the desk and Leon moved his arms around a bit more than what was strictly necessary. He must've thought that moving them a lot would distract anybody who may have been looking at his feet, which were still tied to the chair.

They sat in uncomfortable silence (Leon and Cloud did at least, Umbridge was fine) until voices could be heard. Students piled into the classroom, and everyone took their seats. Out of the corner of their eyes, the students shot Umbridge glances. No one but the Slytherins liked her much.

Cloud slowly walked into the center of the room. "Today we're—"

"Professor Strife!" One girl shouted. Cloud paused and looked at her, confused.

"What?"

Yuffie noticed what the other girl was yelling about. "Cloud!" She pointed at him. Other students noticed too, and the girls chatted excitedly while the boys snickered.

"_What_?" Cloud growled.

Sora cracked up and pointed at his neck. …Exactly where Umbridge was staring before. Cloud looked down, and with some awkward turning of his neck, he saw it. Leon gave him a giant hickey. On his neck. Where everyone could see.

Cloud blushed and zipped up his shirt. Now the students were looking at his lips.

"Look!" Yuffie screeched. "His lips, they're all _swollen_! Looks like someone's been _kissing_…" She waggled her eyebrows.

Cloud flushed further. "Shut up, all of you. We're going outside."

"But it's freezing!" Sora paused. "…Again!"

"It won't be. Go, we'll catch up to you in a minute."

Reluctantly, the class filed out of the room. Umbridge didn't make a move to follow. She watched as Cloud nervously grabbed his Buster sword and Leon's gunblade.

Why couldn't she just leave already? Cloud had to untie Leon… Cloud made a chore out of putting on his sword harness, and _still_, she didn't leave. Cloud got an idea. He popped into their storage room for a minute, and returned with the class's swords. A few slid onto the ground.

Cloud looked at Umbridge and said politely, "Would you like to help carry these?"

Umbridge sneered. "I think not." She slid out of the room and followed the kids.

Everyone was gathered around a set of doors that led to the courtyard. Cloud strode past them all and (with a bit more force than was _completely_ necessary) opened the doors ad walked outside. The class followed reluctantly.

Surprisingly, it was warm. Cloud led them into the middle of the courtyard and gestured around him. "What you see is something Professor _Leonhart_ and I put up last night. It's a joint spell, a mix of Reflega and Protego."

Upon further inspection, the air glistened and shone when the sun hit it right. A good distance away, the shimmering light seemed to be concentrated, giving their enclosure definite walls. The kids 'oohed' and 'aahed', but Umbridge merely 'hmphed' and made a note in her clipboard.

"Any physical attacks or magical attacks won't get in," Leon announced. "Weak to medium spells or attacks, that is. Plus, it's warm."

"Hem hem!" Umbridge looked at them closely.

"…Yes?"

"Why do you find it is necessary to take such precautions? It's not as if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going to attack us at any given time, after all…" She chuckled at her 'joke'.

Harry bristled. Obviously, this had happened prior to this class. "I told you, he's back, I _saw_ him-"

Umbridge started at him smoothly. "It's not right to tell lies, Potter."

"I'm _not _lying! I told you he's back, and now that Sephiroth is-"

"Enough," Umbridge said forcefully. She gazed at the class. "This…Sephiroth…is a _lie_. No such man exists."

Cloud could tell that she was purposely provoking them. Leon knew it too, but Leon's usually pleasant aura turned black anyway. He grasped Leon's hand in his own and squeezed lightly. Leon relaxed a bit, but it was no such luck with Yuffie.

"You can be pigheaded all you like with _Voldemort_, but not about Sephiroth!" She yelled angrily.

Umbridge's face contorted. She said tersely, "What is your proof that such a man exists?"

"I've seen him in Radiant Garden and our home world! I know about all the things he did to Cloud—"

"That's enough, Yuffie." Cloud was pissed, but smart. Even though he hated Sephiroth with every fiber of his being, he wouldn't pretend that he didn't exist. It wasn't right to…belittle him like that. Somehow, talking about the Sephiroth, the former general of SOLDIER as if he was an insect, was wrong.

"You're very smart, _Professor_ Strife," Umbridge said with a feral grin. "At least _you_ know how to recognize truth from figments of your imagination."

A vein throbbed in Leon's temple, but he didn't say anything. Cloud smiled pleasantly and gestured to their protective walls. He said lightly, "You can never be too careful."

Cloud took a deep breath and addressed he class, who was watching him for signs of retaliation. He smiled reassuringly at them. "Everyone, pick a partner and spread out."

Everyone did just that. Leon and Cloud faced each other and pulled out their wands, after placing their swords in the grass.

Leon called to the class, "We're going to practice Shield charms today. We know you've done them in Charms, but we want to see how good you are at them. One of you should pick your favorite spell, and your partner will try to block it. Okay?"

"Yes, Professor!"

Cries and shouts sharply rang through the air. It seemed that everyone was adept at Shielding charms. That was good to know.

They did this a few more times, and then Leon stopped them. "That's good enough for now. Get a sword."

Everyone scrambled to the pile of swords in the grass. Cloud stood next to Leon and surveyed Umbridge. The woman was writing in the clipboard with a disgusted look on her face.

Leon sighed and shook his head. It wasn't any use trying to deal with the woman. They told the kids to work on dodging and blocking, walked around demonstrating with their own swords, and helped to correct any certain student's posture.

Umbridge slid up to Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe and Pansy when Leon and Cloud were helping Neville on the opposite side of the field. She glanced at Malfoy.

"How do you like Professor Strife and Professor Leonhart?"

Malfoy let his sword fall to the ground with a thud. He smirked and looked Umbridge up and down. Slowly, he said, "…I think I can help you."

----------------

Several minutes later, Umbridge's clipboard was full of notes. She thanked Malfoy and strolled around a bit more. She stopped where Riku and Sora were sparring.

"Excuse me dears," she said quietly.

Sora stopped and stared at her distrustfully. Umbridge didn't notice. She looked Sora up and down.

"How well do you know your Professors?"

Sora knew quite well that she was referring to Leon and Cloud. He waited until Riku stood by his side comfortingly before saying, "Well enough."

Umbridge frowned. "What is your name?"

"Sora Hikari."

"Well. Did you know, Sora," She raised her voice so that the neighboring students could hear but Leon and Cloud could not, "Homosexuals are over three times as likely to abuse or molest their students?" She grinned. "Especially pretty boys like yourself."

Sora bristled and narrowed his eyes. His hands shook, and he balled them into fists. "That is _obviously_ a lie," Sora said, his voice tight.

Riku growled low in his throat and fixed Umbridge with his piercing gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw Harry, Ron and Hermione hurrying towards them. Obviously, they had heard Umbridge. The other ten or so students who heard looked shocked.

"A lie? You're just as brainwashed as Potter, Hikari. You may not know it, but Homosexuals put a serious dent in our economy."

Sora blanched. "T-the _economy_!?" He said it so loudly, Leon and Cloud, who were on the other side of the courtyard, looked over at them.

"If homosexuals 'hurt the economy', it's about to take a serious dip," Sora said angrily. He jerked Riku's head around and kissed him forcefully.

Umbridge was shocked. After gaping like a fish for a few seconds, she hissed, "Detention, Hikari. For you too." She glared at Riku.

"Riku Kobayashi."

She turned on her heel and started to walk away, but Harry yelled, "Detention? For kissing? I bet if it was a boy and a girl you wouldn't have done anything!"

Umbridge gave Harry a cool stare. "Detention for you too, Potter." With that, she strode away back into the school.

Cloud was surprised and angry. He was angry because Harry, Riku and Sora managed to get detention. He was surprised because…hadn't Sora and Riku just _kissed_? Since when…?

No one else seemed surprised. Obviously, he was kept in the dark. Cloud looked at Leon, who looked like he was just told his sword was stolen too. They stared at each other.

---------------

At dinner, in the hallway, Leon forced Riku to tell him everything. Riku told him about Sirius, and wasn't surprised that Leon and Cloud talked to him also. Leon let him go back inside with a warning—if he ever hurt Sora, there would be hell to pay. Leon was actually quite fond of the little keyblade bearer, and he didn't want to see him hurt.

Riku assured him that he would never do anything to hurt Sora, and they returned to the Great Hall. Leon sat down next to Cloud and sighed. Seriously, how had they not noticed? It was obvious once you knew—the way they smiled at each other, and how they were measuring the distance they were between their shoulders the other day should've been blatant declarations, but both Cloud and Leon were too thick-skulled to realize it.

They traveled to their room after sparring in tired silence. Upon entering the room, Cloud collapsed into an armchair, and Leon retreated to the bathroom. Cloud idly fiddled with the Rubik's cube and waited for Leon to get out.

When he did, Cloud showered and brushed his teeth quickly. It was still relatively early—nine-thirty. But hey, it was Friday, so the were allowed to be lazy.

Leon laid down on the bed and held out his arms invitingly. Cloud stared at him for a long time. Leon didn't even blink. He was _not_ some kind of teddy bear that cuddled upon command! Cloud _almost_ stuck out his tongue, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he walked around to the side of the bed, rather than crawling up the top like he usually did.

Just as he was about to slide beneath the covers, Leon rolled over and wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist. He rolled over again, jerking Cloud off the floor and pinning the blond beneath him.

Cloud looked up with wide eyes. Leon grinned and leant forward. He licked the shell of Cloud's ear and whispered, "Goodnight Cloud."

Cloud didn't trust himself to speak. It would probaby come out as gibberish--his ears were _sensitive_, dammit! He merely nodded and threaded his hands through Leon's hair.

---------------

Simultaneously, Cloud and Leon opened their eyes. It was dark, so they couldn't see, but they could hear.

"They're in here somewhere?"

"It's too dark…"

"I'm _tired_."

"Check for booby traps!"

"Heh heh, Mad-Eye said _booby_…"

"Ow, I just bumped into something!"

"You're just paranoid, Mad-Eye."

"Ssh!"

All of this was (mostly) whispered. The people were obviously looking for them, but hadn't stumbled over to the bed yet. There were a lot, judging by the different voices. Possibly more than ten. Cloud gripped Leon's hand with his own briefly, and then they sprang into action.

Cloud remembered where his Buster sword was—next to the desk. Unfortunately for him, the mystery people were in-between him and it. Quick as a…very quick flash, Cloud stood up on the bed and jumped. He sailed over the heads and reached for the hilt of his sword.

Leon rolled on the floor and kicked the legs out from underneath a few people. He located his Gunblade, and held it to one's neck.

All of this happened in a few seconds. Screaming and screeching broke out, and someone was smart enough to turn on a light.

Cloud stood still—he had his Buster sword pointed at a young woman's chest. She had bright pink hair. Leon drew a line of blood on the neck of a man whose face was scarred, and he had a bright blue eye that swiveled in all directions. No one looked dangerous—more like a motley of ordinary wizards, actually. Leon didn't relax, though.

"Who are you?" He growled.

The man with the blue eye said, "Relax. We're members of the Order of the Phoenix."

Neither man moved. Strangers who found their way into their room would claim to be all kinds of people to get out of things. Leon pressed in with his gunblade, causing some more blood to run down the man's neck.

"My name is Alastor Moody. My I.D. is in my jacket. Dumbledore told us to come find you. You talked to Sirius last Friday."

Leon let him go, and yanked open the man's jacket so he could look for his wallet. It was buried within at _least _ten pockets. This man was careful, to say the least. While Leon searched for it, Cloud swung his Buster sword around and held it at the man's neck. He was probably the strongest, other than a big black man in the corner of the room. Cloud alternatively glared at everyone.

Leon finally pulled it out, and flipped it open. Inside was a little card with the name 'Alastor Moody' on it. It also said that he was an Auror.

He was still a little suspicious, but nodded at Cloud. Cloud let Moody go. Everyone in the room let out the breath they were holding.

Cloud sat on the edge of the bed and faced the people. Many of them were staring at him curiously. He couldn't say that he liked the attention. He faced the clock—it was 10:33. Just about an hour after they fell asleep. His eyes widened, and he turned his head to stare at the intruders accusingly.

One woman elbowed her neighbor and whispered, "He's cute!"

Cloud heard her, of course, and mentally rolled his metaphorical eyes. Leon sat down next to him.

There was a brief silence, when everyone stared at everyone else. Cloud felt like he was being sized up and examined. Finally, Moody spoke.

"We're here to welcome you to the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius Black and Dumbledore think that you will both be valuable assets. We're here to bring you to headquarters."

"_All_ of you?" Cloud asked.

Moody sighed and looked at the large amount of people crammed into the room. There was just as many as the time when they went to get Harry that summer…

Introductions began. A rather shabby-looking man held out his hand, which they shook. "Remus Lupin. Former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Leon and Cloud met Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle, and eight other witches and wizards.

Everyone settled back into an awkward silence, and suddenly Tonks burst out, "You have a wing!"

Cloud frowned. "Yes. I do." He dared anyone to comment. No one did.

"…How did you get in?" Leon asked. No walls were broken, and only they knew the password…

"Dumbledore gave us the password," Lupin said. "Sir Cadogan let us in."

Cloud vaguely wondered how Lupin knew Sir Cadogan. Well, he _was_ the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor once.

Moody snapped, "We've wasted too much time. We have to be in London by eleven-fifteen!"

"Relax, Mad-Eye," Tonks said. She looked at Leon an Cloud. "You two get dressed—you're staying the whole weekend. Dumbledore approved it."

Cloud asked, "Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Mad-Eye gestured towards the dresser. "Now get dressed!"

Cloud gave Leon a confused look as Tonks and Diggle shoved him into the bathroom. Right before the door shut, Moody threw his pants through the doorway.

Cloud watched the door shut with a bam, and stared mutely at the wood. He quietly pulled on his pants. Moody forgot his shirt…

Cloud could hear everyone questioning Leon. It was obvious that Leon was uncomfortable—Cloud could almost feel a tugging, begging him to come back in the room.

Cloud opened the door, and all the heads in the room turned to him. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out his usual shirt. Then he realized something—Leon had to do his shirt. He didn't relish Leon doing it in front of these weird people, but if they shut themselves in the bathroom to do it, their visitors might get suspicious. After all, they could be ditching, or something…

Cloud mentally shrugged. He could care less, actually. He pulled his t-shirt off and threw it into the basket by the door. The house-elves would get it.

A few of the women began giggling. Cloud gave them a weird look and pulled on his shirt so his head and arms were through, but his chest and stomach were still exposed. Half the people in the room looked at him questioningly.

Leon grinned slightly and stuck Cloud's wing through his shirt. Cloud yanked the bottom down and zipped it a little, so his neck showed. He liked it that way.

"Thanks," he murmured.

He felt Leon nod once behind him, and Leon took his pants and one of his shirts away from a giggling witch.

Cloud silently put on his shoulder guard, and secured it with the black straps that ran along his torso. He could feel everyone watching his movements closely. It was kind of irritating.

As Cloud (still silently, mind you) hooked the rest of his outfit onto his pants, one little wizard couldn't hold it in anymore.

"How heavy is your sword?" He asked loudly.

Cloud straightened up and stared at him. Slowly, he smiled. The tension in the room disappeared when they saw Cloud's eyes shining like they always did when he smiled. It made him seem…more human.

Cloud picked it up and twirled it. "…I'm not sure." He glanced at the man.

"Can I…hold it?"

Cloud chuckled a bit. "You can try." He laid the tip on the floor and handed the hilt to the man.

Leon entered the room to see Cloud contemplating that odd bit of clothing that went over his right leg, and the others working together to steady the Buster sword.

The sword was gently laid on the ground, and Cloud took his black…thing off and placed it in his suitcase.

Moody checked his watch and swore. He ignored a few of the women's appreciative chatter as they watched Leon put on his jacket and barked, "It's time!"

"How are we getting…wherever it is we're going?" Cloud asked.

Lupin answered. "As you both know, you can't Apparate or Dissapparate inside Hogwarts. We're walking to the edge of the border, and then Apparating to the outskirts of London. From there we'll take brooms to…our destination." He sensed their suspicion. "It's better not to say. Someone could be listening."

"Enough chatter! Move out!" Mad-Eye pushed his way through the people and climbed down the ladder. With a bang, he opened the back of Sir Cadogan's painting and walked out.

Cloud frowned, and doubled back to the bathroom to get his toothbrush. He was still a bit iffy about the whole thing, but if Dumbledore said he had to… come to think of it, lately it seemed as if Dumbledore had been ignoring him. …Nah, he was imagining it. Just because someone didn't exactly look into your eyes when you spoke to them didn't mean that they were ignoring you.

On impulse, he grabbed the Rubik's cube and stuffed it into his suitcase. Cloud hurried after the others.

Moody led them through the deserted hallways and into the cool night air. Cloud zipped his shirt up to his chin. He didn't miss the disappointed looks he got from a few of the witches, and a wizard or two. It was as if their eyes were glued to him—he swore that thy hadn't left his (or Leon's) person for more than a few seconds in the past ten minutes. He didn't miss Leon's slightly disappointed look, either. He smiled briefly at Leon, which was returned. Both men missed the 'halo of understanding' that blossomed over Tonks' head.

Moody quickly ushered them into the forest. Leon noticed the wands that everyone held at the ready, and kept one hand on the hilt of his Gunblade.

The forbidden forest was dark, the staple for the woods. It didn't bother Cloud—he was used to darkness _much_ worse than this. Such as the one in his heart. (LOL)

For quite some time, nothing was heard except for the occasional broken twig and soft curses when someone lost their footing. They traveled past fallen trees, giant boulders, and they saw many suspicious markings on different objects that distinctly looked like a car had caused them. What would a car be doing all the way out here…?

They pushed past a last little group of trees, and they emerged into a grassy meadow. The forest just…stopped. The feeling of mystique and ancient magic was gone—leaving only a cold, winter night in its place. Moody grinned and said, "Alright everyone, on the count of three…"

Lupin held out a hand to Cloud. "Do you know how to Apparate?"

Cloud shook his head. Lupin shook his arm, and Cloud laid two fingers on his forearm.

Leon placed a hand on Kingsley Shacklebolt's arm and waited for the feeling that he knew was coming.

"One, two, three!"

Everyone turned on the spot, and Leon held his breath as he felt like he was being stuffed into a rubber tube.

As soon as he could breathe again, Leon looked up at the small homes that surrounded them. A small wizard in purple robes hurried towards them, clutching an armful of brooms.

"All's good? You're almost late, Mad-Eye."

Moody waved him away irritably. "I know. Just hand over the brooms, already."

The man handed each person a broom. He stopped in front of Leon and gazed into his eyes. "Can you ride a broom?" He asked slowly. Leon nodded, as did Cloud when asked the same question.

Their things were charmed to follow their brooms, and everyone kicked off the ground and soared into the air. It was cold—Cloud could feel his eyes watering from the freezing air rushing past his face.

For at _least_ half an hour, they sped through the sky over London. Leon was frozen to his broom—he cursed everything, because his little _problem_ was back. Damn his short-sleeve fetish to _hell_.

Occasionally, Cloud would fly next to Leon for awhile. Cloud zoomed around and swerved a little bit—Leon was perfectly content with flying in as straight a line as possible, thankyouverymuch.

Finally, they descended in a very empty-looking parking lot. Everything was so different from Radiant Garden…

Moody led them through a maze of streets and stopped walking on a very plain looking street. He looked at a spot between houses eleven and thirteen.

Mad-Eye fished around in is pocket, and pulled out a little piece of paper. He held it out for Leon and Cloud to see. It said, "The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at number twelve, Grimmauld place."

After waiting for them to memorize it, Moody lit the paper on fire.

Cloud looked at him blankly. "Think about what you just read," Moody said.

Leon replayed the little message in his head, and was astonished when a house appeared right in between eleven and thirteen, pushing them sideways. The inhabitants didn't seem to notice.

Tonks opened the door, and promptly stumbled on something in the hallway. After straightening herself, she called something into the center of the house.

Something started shrieking at an impossible volume. Tonks urgently motioned for everyone to follow.

Leon walked in the doorway, to be met with absolute pandemonium. A man with black hair and Lupin were trying to force curtains over a painting. It seemed that whoever was in it was making all the racket. Members of the Order scurried in every direction, and Tonks violently knocked something else over. A hideous house-elf muttered curses, grabbed a picture frame and darted away upstairs with it when he thought no one was looking.

No one was really paying attention to them, so Cloud and Leon wandered into the kitchen. A familiar woman was fixing something on the stove.

Mrs. Weasley turned, and saw Leon and Cloud standing somewhat awkwardly in the doorway. She beamed at them. "Professor Strife, Professor Leonhart, please, do sit down. Are you hungry?"

"Um, not real-"

"Nonsense! Eat up, you're much too skinny. Both of you!" He poked Cloud's slender waist appreciatively. Cloud smiled at her fondly and sat at the table. Leon did too. A few minutes of pleasant conversation later, Lupin and the man with dark hair came in. Lupin looked exhausted.

It was Sirius, but he looked a bit different in real life. He greeted them. "Sirius Black, we haven't formally been introduced yet."

Cloud and Leon shook the offered hand.

Tonks and Moody walked into the room. Lupin sagged into his chair, and Mrs. Weasley immediately gave him some soup, which he accepted with a tired smile.

"So…" Tonks said cheerily. "Wotcher, Strife… can I call you Cloud?"

"Sure." Cloud liked Tonks. She had bright, spiky hair too.

"Cloud…how do you get your hair to stay like that?"

Cloud deadpanned. Of all the things…hair? "It's natural."

"Seriously? But it's…spiky!"

Cloud nodded. Tonks frowned for a second, and her head suddenly had an abundance of blond spikes, exactly like Cloud.

Leon and Cloud's mouths fell open. Tonks grinned, and suddenly she had Leon's shaggy locks.

"Cool, huh? I'm liking the spikes, Cloud." She turned back into a replica Cloud-headed person and turned them bubble gum pink. Cloud would have been impressed, but he didn't like seeing his hair pink. His eyes narrowed, and Tonks changed her hair back into short spikes sheepishly

"Molly, I must really be going," Lupin said as he handed her his now-empty bowl, "And thank you for the soup." He turned to Leon and Cloud. "I will be most likely seeing you again tomorrow. If not, then Sunday. It is very nice meeting you—I'm glad you're my former students' teachers."

Cloud grinned a little at Lupin. Tonks stretched and said, "Me too. 'Night, Molly." They waved goodbye and swept out the door.

Cloud finished his last bite of bread and Mrs. Weasley took his and Leon's plates. He couldn't help it—without meaning to, he yawned widely. Mrs. Weasley dropped the sponge into the hot water with a splash.

"I'm so sorry! How could I have forgotten? We woke you up and put you through all that! Where are my manners…?"

"Molly," Sirius said. "Relax. They're just tired. He grinned at them. "There's a few free rooms upstairs. One is usually used for Harry and Ron—that's on the right. Take the first one on the left.

"Thanks." Cloud stifled another yawn.

"Sleep well dears! And be quiet in the landing!"

"Molly, I'm sure they'll sleep just _fine_." Sirius winked at Cloud. Cloud had almost forgotten that Sirius knew that they were gay. It didn't bother him, but jokes like that made people confused. Namely, Moody and Mrs. Weasley.

With a grunt, Cloud tuned on his heel and left the room. Heeding Mrs. Weasley's warning, they tiptoed through the landing. Once up on the steps, they relaxed a bit.

On the left…on the left… Leon opened the door to reveal a nightstand and two beds on opposite sides of the room.

Silently, they got changed and used the bathroom in the hall. They hesitated a bit by their beds. If they had to, they could _probably_ fall asleep by themselves, but neither could really imagine falling asleep without the other inches away.

Cloud laid down on Leon's bed, next to the brunet. "Goodnight…" Leon murmured.

"Yeah. 'Night." Cloud knew that tomorrow would be busy, so he fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Next chapter: Leon and Cloud meet the rest of the Order, Kreacher and Mrs. Black spurt insults, Cloud gets hit on by a prostitute named Flash, and the gang shows up at headquarters. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Side note: In this fic, everyone eats in the kitchen of Grimmauld place. I just like it more that way, and there's chairs, not a long bench. Just go with it...ha ha. Also, I kind of overdid Kreacher and Mrs. Black, but I think it's funnier that way. **

* * *

Leon opened his eyes slowly. It was relatively early—the sun was mostly up. It didn't light up their bedroom very much, though. He gently roused Cloud, who blinked sleepily at him.

Cloud smiled a bit and yawned. "…Good morning."

"Morning." Leon sagged, boneless for a few seconds before getting up, tugging the blanket off of Cloud as he did so. Cloud made a small noise of protest, but got dressed nonetheless.

Downstairs, Mrs. Weasley was yelling about something—although this wasn't a big surprise. They descended the steps quietly, as to not wake Mrs. Black. When they entered the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley spun around and turned bright red. She spluttered, "W-why didn't you tell us?"

They did something wrong _already_? "Uh...tell you what?" Cloud asked.

Mrs. Weasley waved her arms around. Sirius, who was talking to her before they came in, began laughing. Mrs. Weasley said, "why didn't you tell us...that you were together? What if someone made a rude comment, or-"

Cloud held up his hands. "Oh no...really, it's fine." He glanced at Leon, who looked stymied. Sirius snorted.

"Molly went into your room a few minutes ago and nearly had a heart attack."

"I did no such thing!" Mrs. Weasley blushed. "It's just—you two are _such_ a nice couple, and I walked in on you holding each other like that-" She got herself all worked up.

"Uhh...sorry,"Leon said, not really knowing what to say.

"Eh? Nonsense—you just stay here, I'll go wake up some of the others..." She left.

"Others?" Cloud looked at Sirius.

Sirius winced. "Last night, someone found out that you left, and naturally, the Weasleys wanted to come. They alerted their friends, you know how it goes..." He rubbed his temples. Leon rolled his eyes—those kids were really annoying sometimes.

Mrs. Weasley came in quickly, fanning herself. She was bright red. "Riku...and Sora..." she sagged against the counter.

Oh boy.

--

Halfway during breakfast, once everyone was up and awake, Mr. Weasley and Tonks strolled inside the house. It was funny, really—as Tonks came into the room, (accidentally knocking over a table in the hall) Yuffie got up to use the bathroom and knocked over her chair, and very nearly knocked the table over. Tonks and Yuffie looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I'm Tonks!" Tonks said happily.

"And I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!"

The two females grinned at each other and went to go talk about ninjas, klutzes, and embarrassing experiences. The other occupants of the room were in shock.

"Those two should not have met," Mr. Weasley said. He chucked and took off his hat. "Hello again, everybody." He noticed Leon and Cloud sitting next to Sirius and held out his hand. "Arthur Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

He enthusiastically shook both of their hands at the same time. Riku snickered behind his hand. Mr. Weasley pecked Mrs. Weasley on the cheek and took a piece of toast out of the toaster at the same time. He wearily sat in a now-vacated chair (courtesy of Sirius's left hand and a conveniently placed George's right side) and said, "The meeting with the Order tonight is for adults only. We're welcoming you two," he glanced meaningfully at Leon and Cloud, "And we're getting you two introduced with everyone."

He ignored the protests and said firmly, "Adults only. Don't complain—it's a miracle you're even allowed to be here." Everyone shut up.

"It's going to be awhile before everyone else gets here," Mrs. Weasley said with a pleasant-voice-that-somehow-dripped-poison, "And we didn't _quite_ finish the cleaning this summer."

Everyone looked horrified. Mrs. Weasley grinned a little bit and encouraged everyone to 'eat up, because you're going to need that energy.'

Immediately after breakfast, Mrs. Weasley ushered everyone into the living room. Somehow, she produced rubber gloves out of nowhere. After handing a pair to everyone in the room under seventeen, she turned to Leon and Cloud, who were watching bemusedly.

"You don't have to do anything-"

"I need them," Sirius said bluntly. "If you would follow me, then..." He turned around and left the room.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Sirius' back a little distrustfully, but waved them off with a smile.

Sirius waited for them in the landing and all three quietly made their way past Mrs. Black's portrait. Sirius led them upstairs, down a hallway, and up another set of stairs.

The door to the attic was dusty and old—Sirius tugged it open with only a bit of difficulty, and they stepped inside. The attic was crammed...with shit. Junk and..._things_ of every shape and size covered almost every square inch of the floor.

Leon stared at the mess, stunned. It pissed him off to no end whenever anyone mentioned it, but he was kind of a neat freak. This was...wow.

Sirius turned around sheepishly. "We threw most of this stuff out during the summer, but Kreacher somehow managed to get most of it back."

"Kreacher?"

As if on cue, the shriveled house-elf slid into the room. His eyes widened when he saw the three men in the room, and then he looked at the open window. With a cry of outrage, Kreacher rushed towards the window and stood on tiptoes so he could see.

"As Kreacher can see, I have a dumpster conveniently placed next to the house. Anything we find can go right out this window."

Kreacher frantically tried to turn the metal clasp on the window frame.

"Kreacher!" Sirius shouted. "Stop!"

Kreacher flinched as if he was hit. He turned around slowly, his neck rotating before his body did, giving off a very creepy, undead vibe.

"Of course, Master," Kreacher said. His voice sounded forced. A tiny bit quieter (but not by much) he muttered, "The scum, the trash, who broke my mistress's heart, how he wants to throw away all the noble and honorable artifacts of the house of Black-"

"We can hear you, Kreacher," Sirius said loudly.

Kreacher cast his gaze on Leon and Cloud. Both men weren't sure if they should laugh or pity the elf. As it was, they stayed silent.

Curiously, Kreacher stared at them, completely unaware that they were, in fact, staring back.

"Kreacher has never seen these two before yesterday...who are they?" He did something with his face that could only be described as a frown. "They're probably against the Dark Lord...and Kreacher cannot trust them, after all, they are men who sleep in the same bed! That is not normal, most revolting..."

"Kreacher!" Sirius shouted. He shot Leon an apologetic look.

"Most abnormal. The same can be said for the annoying loud one and silver-hair..." Kreacher slowly circled hem, his feet expertly avoiding bits of glass and the like.

"The yellow one has a wing!" His eyes went wide. "That is most disturbing, Mistress would never allow it-"

Kreacher let out a strangled cry, because Sirius hoisted the house-elf by the neck and threw him into the hall. Cloud and Leon glanced at each other warily. The demented midget was in their room?

"That's Kreacher. Now come on. Take anything, and just drop it." Sirius picked up a beautiful picture frame with disgust, and held it out a foot or so away from the house. He let it go, and it fell into the dumpster with a clatter.

Kreacher's whole body seized up, and rushed back into the room with a deranged yell. Sirius merely frowned at the ball of hatred trying to reach the brooch in his hands. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "Would one of you mind detaining Kreacher? It will be difficult with him around."

Leon immediately shoved Cloud with his shoulder. Cloud glared at him, but Leon looked away. Sirius grinned. With a sigh, Cloud quickly latched his hand around Kreacher's wrist and tugged him in the direction of the hallway.

Kreacher went wild. He blindly kicked at Cloud's groin and sunk his teeth into Cloud's forearm. Cloud clutched himself with one hand and fell to the ground. His other hand went into a death grip around Kreacher's left ankle. Kreacher thrashed and screamed.

They couldn't help it—Leon and Sirius started laughing.

Cloud glared daggers at them. Kreacher began screaming, "No! This is unfair, the house of Black will not be defiled by the likes of you!"

Cloud grunted and picked up the struggling mass. He shoved Kreacher up against the door frame in an effort to get him to calm down.

Kreacher started crying bitter tears and tried to kick Cloud in the gut with his hands. "Rape! Rape! Mistress!"

Cloud was so shocked by the outburst, he dropped Kreacher, to the amusement of a certain brown-haired man.

Kreacher made a desperate attempt towards a box of thimbles—but Cloud got his arms around Kreacher's waist and stumbled into the hallway.

Kreacher wasn't giving up that easily.

Downstairs, everyone stopped dusting and turned their heads towards the steps. They could (very clearly, mind you) hear shouts of "Rape!"; "No!"; "That is mistress's!"; "Stay back!"; "I hate you!"; "Homosexual!"; "Yellow haired bum!"; and Sora's personal favorite, "No-good-pig-skinned-blond-flarger!";

No one really had anything to say to that one.

About an hour later, Sirius, Leon and Cloud staggered down the steps. They had taken turns with Kreacher—Cloud was by far the worst for wear, though Kreacher eventually tried to attack his wing—Cloud had to whack Kreacher across the face with it to get him off.

Kreacher choked Leon with Griever, and Sirius just booted Kreacher into the hall. In the end, Kreacher made off with four things that were now sitting in his little cupboard.

"What happened to you?" Yuffie asked once she saw the blood dripping down Cloud's arm.

Cloud accepted a wet washcloth from Mrs. Weasley and pressed it to his bicep. Slowly, he said, "...Kreacher happened." He scowled.

"You met the crazy nut, then?" Ron said with a smirk. Hermione glared at him.

"He is _not_ a 'crazy nut,' Ron. He's a house-elf that's been bossed around his whole life by humans and that awful portrait-"

Mrs. Weasley interrupted. "I'll go make lunch. Professors, if you would help me..."

In the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley leant against the counter and sighed. She glanced at the living room and said, "Hermione will talk all day about Kreacher, if she could. It's best to distract her or leave the room." She smiled.

She threw open the refrigerator and ducked her head inside.

"I don't mean to make you two work," She said into the milk, "but you two are, frankly, made for this kind of thing." She stood up and pointed to her bicep.

Cloud and Leon glanced at each other. Well...yeah, they did have rather prominent muscles.

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Can you pour the juice into cups, please?"

Cloud got a giant bottle of apple juice (yuck, he hated it) out of the fridge, and Leon got out a bunch of paper cups. While they filled said cups, Mrs. Weasley sprang about the kitchen, throwing meat, cheese and lettuce onto bread. It was amazing, really.

Upon entering the living room again, Cloud saw Kreacher glaring at him from the banister on the steps. Ugh... Cloud kind of regretted joining S.P.E.W for a second or two...or a minute... or an hour... forever.

During lunch, Sirius pulled Leon into the corner of the room, and then motioned for Cloud to follow.

"I apologize for Kreacher's behavior earlier. He's always like that."

"Don't worry about it," Leon said breezily.

Sirius grinned at them. His face turned stony after a few seconds, however. "Just to warn you," he said heavily, "Tonight might be a little rough. I'm sure the rest of the order will be eager to meet you, but they're going to be wary. Half of them don't know that you're professors, only that we're welcoming two new members, who none of them have heard of. The ones who don't work with the Ministry, anyway. Even with them, they've only heard your names." He chuckled. "Expect lots of questions."

Leon raked a hand through his hair and smiled a bit. "Thanks for the warning."

"Sure." Sirius, Cloud and Leon returned to the activity.

Tonks and Yuffie had returned, and Yuffie was teaching Tonks how to throw a shuriken. Half the room was terrified. Mr. Weasley was arguing with Mrs. Weasley about something in the corner of the room. Mr. Weasley seemed to win, because he practically jumped into the air and hooted softly, to Mrs. Weasley's displeasure. He bounced over to where Cloud and Leon were standing and said, "We're going out!"

Silence. "…Out?" Cloud asked.

Mr. Weasley nodded.

Fred exclaimed, "Can we come?" The others were quick to rally behind him.

"Strict Order business," Mr. Weasley snapped.

The others quieted down, but Yuffie eyed them a little murderously.

Mr. Weasley ushered them outside, only pausing briefly when both Cloud and Leon insisted on getting their swords. Mrs. Weasley was a bit nervous—she didn't think that bringing the swords was such a good idea.

Once outside, Mr. Weasley checked the street carefully. "You can't be too careful," he said. "Death Eaters could be here. They don't know anything about Grimmauld place, of course, but…it's best to be careful. 'Constant Vigilance', as Mad-Eye would say."

Mr. Weasley led them around town a bit, showing them random things and saying, "Those Muggles, they're so imaginative!"

They just strolled around for a bit—Mr. Weasley wanted to get them away from the chaos for a bit. Eventually, Mr. Weasley struck up some conversation. "It still amazes me that you two are swordfighters. Where did you learn? I didn't think you could still learn that sort of thing these days at your level."

"…A lot of people sword fight where I'm from, "Cloud said. "Guns are pretty popular too."

"Where are you from?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Neibelheim," Cloud said.

"Never heard of it," Mr. Weasley grinned.

--

A bit later, all three chatted happily (well…Mr. Weasley) on the way home. It was getting a bit dark—the sun still set much too early for Leon's taste.

It was a few blocks from Sirius' house when it happened. Walking towards them on the other side of the street was two… not-very-dressed women. Leon thought it was a bit early for prostitutes to be out and about, and weren't they a bit cold? He dismissed it. This world had already proved itself to be quite strange.

They crossed the street, gazes locked onto our heroes. The first one—a nasty-looking hag with a saggy…chest—sauntered up to Cloud. In a deep, gritty voice she said, "Hey handsome. The name's Flash. I haven't seen you around here. You new?" She pressed herself closer, to Cloud's utter repulsion. "You have such…a _big_ sword." She waggled eyebrows and glanced at Cloud's groin and the Buster sword respectively.

Leon narrowed his eyes. It seemed that no one had noticed, but Cloud was _his_. He opened his mouth to say something, but Cloud spoke first.

"I'm…taken."

"Too bad. No girl is good enough for _you_." She tried to trail a finger down Cloud's chest, but he sidestepped her.

"No thanks."

The other woman—Moon—sidled up to Leon. "How about you?"

Leon took a step back. If they hung around for much longer, they'd probably get arrested for soliciting a prostitute. "…Taken."

Flash pouted. "Both taken? That's no fun. I'll tell you what—you two go tell your girlfriends you're staying at a friend's house. I'm sure we could have _lots_ of fun…" She shook her cleavage in Cloud's face.

Mr. Weasley tried not to laugh. It was kind of funny—these…women… were 'hitting' on two gay guys. Who would've thought?

Leon placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder and pushed him down the sidewalk. They could do without this, thankyouverymuch. Mr. Weasley followed.

They only made it about twenty feet away before Flash and Moon hurried after them.

Flash screeched, "Wait! I have rubbers, you know! No commitment."

Cloud and Leon bristled and turned around. Mr. Weasley felt a blood vessel pop in his eye. Holding in laughter like this wasn't healthy. Rubbers? Oh god…

"You said you're both taken. Why don't you just forget about your girls and…have some fun?"

Leon lost it. He was being fucking _chased_ by two _prostitutes_ named _Flash_ and _Moon_. "We don't want to have fun," he said icily, and they took off down the street again.

Moon and Flash weren't deterred. Leon sighed—why didn't these women have any sense?

He swiveled around and stared into Moon's eyes. "Leave us alone," he said flatly.

"Aww, but you two are _much_ too handsome to-"

Without warning, Leon quickly placed his hand on the back of Cloud's head and crushed their lips together. Cloud didn't really kiss back—he more made it well-known that he was enjoying it.

There was a few seconds of shocked silence. Leon drew back and wrapped his arms around Cloud possessively. "We're taken," he said again.

Surprisingly, Flash and Moon didn't say anything. They gaped. Eventually, Flash found her voice. "You're _gay_?"

"Obviously," Cloud said, annoyed.

"Jesus _motherfucking_ Christ!" Moon shouted. Everyone looked at her. She pointed at Cloud's wing. "It moved!"

"It's part of me, so yes, it would move."

"I-I thought it was part of a costume!" Moon hurried away down the street, tugging Flash along with her.

Flash spat, "Freaks!" And they were gone.

Cloud pried Leon's arms off of his person when Flash and Moon turned the corner. "Don't do that." He gave Mr. Weasley a sideways glance. It felt a bit uncomfortable kissing Leon in front of him. He pretty much hated any forms of P.D.A, and there was the whole gender factor…

Mr. Weasley didn't seem to mind—quite the contrary. He positively _roared_ with laughter the whole way home. Cloud scowled and kept the expression on his face the whole way home.

--

Leon opened the door, to see number twelve, Grimmauld place, in chaos. It was good-smelling chaos, however.

More Order members had arrived when they were gone—Leon could hear Mad-Eye barking at someone about something in the kitchen. Lupin and Tonks were talking with Mrs. Weasley and a few other witches and wizards, and Mrs. Weasley kept darting off to do something that dealt with dinner.

Sirius and Kingsley Shacklebolt were saying something to Riku, and Sora was crouched down in front of Kreacher, who started yelling when he spotted Cloud.

Yuffie darted from the couch and rushed towards Leon with a happy shout. She knocked an end table to the ground with a bang and flung herself onto Leon's chest.

Yuffie's scream stirred the moth-eaten curtains, and they fluttered. The un-earthly screeching from yesterday filled the room.

"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE IN MY HOUSE? GET OUT, MUDBLOODS AND WEREWOLVES, LESSER-THAN-DIRT-BEINGS! YOUR FOUL STENCH WILL MAKE THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK A MOCKERY!"

Sirius left Kingsley, grabbed one of the curtains and furiously gestured for Cloud to help him close them. Leon nodded at Cloud, unhooked Yuffie's arms from around his neck and entered the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley put him to work.

"HOMOS AND _SCUM_! MAY STARVED DUNG BEETLES EAT YOU _ALL_."

Sirius spat on the portrait and together, he and Cloud forced the curtains over Mrs. Black. The woman's screams became muffled, and eventually stopped.

In the kitchen, Leon hurriedly stopped some rolls from burning and breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was running pell-mell; Leon heard Cloud and Sirius finally get Mrs. Black to shut up.

Mrs. Weasley thanked him, and Leon left the kitchen. The other witches and wizards had left the room before he got in—so he hadn't had the chance to really see anyone yet. He figured that he would have the chance to do so in a second, and it wasn't a very happy thought.

Everything was settling down a bit—Cloud wasn't around, though. Leon figured that he was depositing his sword upstairs. Leon nodded at the very large amount of curious faces and quickly climbed the steps. Cloud exited the bathroom and grabbed his Buster Sword, which was leaning against the wall. He didn't question Leon's close proximity to the bathroom.

"Did you see how many there were?" He whispered.

Leon nodded. Cloud said quietly, "We're not allowed past the bathroom for some reason. That's what Mrs. Weasley told me."

Suddenly, the hair on both of their necks stood up. Leon looked around. No one else was upstairs... Cloud stared at a random spot on the floor and hesitantly waved at the ground. "I think Moody's watching us—he can see through walls," Cloud said quietly. Downstairs, Mad-Eye give the ceiling a haughty look that was followed by a small wave.

Leon frowned, shook his head, and they made their way downstairs. Everyone was talking—it was quite obvious that everyone knew each other quite well. However, the room went quiet when Cloud entered it, Leon close behind. There were quite a lot of Order members—at a glance, Cloud would have guessed twenty or more.

For a few moments, Leon and ClLoud surveyed the room while mostly every set of eyes in the room were sizing them up critically.

"WHAT?"

The tense silence was broken, and everyone looked at Mrs. Weasley, who was gaping at her husband, looking strangled.

"YOU MET _HOOKERS_?!"

Mostly everyone in the room went into shocked silence or laughed. Leon and Cloud were some of the few who did not. Personally, Cloud thought that it wasn't very funny at all.

"Molly, it wasn't—" Mr. Weasley looked at Leon desperately. "Cloud and Leon were there too—they just came up and started talking—"

Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath. "I think you better explain this to me. _Now_."

"Yes, dear." Mr. Weasley gestured for the swordsmen to come forward and help.

Leon winced a little, but crossed the room. Mr. Weasley said hurriedly, (to the amusement of everyone else present) "We were walking on the sidewalk, and two...prostitutes came up and started talking to us."

"I'm not surprised," one witch whispered to the witch on her right. "Look at them! You're so lucky that you got to bring them here!"

"I know. I got to see Strife shirtless." She giggled.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Cloud for confirmation. He nodded wearily.

_"Then what?"_

"Um...they introduced themselves—"

"What were their names?" Sora asked.

Spoken like it pained him, Leon said, "...Flash...and Moon." He smiled a bit at Ginny's reaction.

Mrs. Weasley looked alarmed. "How did you make them leave? I'm sure you said 'No, I couldn't possibly, I'm _married_!'"

"O-of course dear."

"I said I was taken," Cloud said uneasily.

Leon added, "as did I."

Several witches in the room visibly deflated. "Both of them?" Emiline Vance hissed to her friend, "That's such a shame. I bet you had a chance with one of them."

Tonks nodded, and thought for a second. She tapped her new apprentice (Yuffie) on the shoulder. She bent down and whispered something into Yuffie's ear. Yuffie's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. Tonks grinned smugly and whispered, "I knew it."

"And did they leave?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Uh...er, not exactly."

"Not exactly?!"

"They were stubborn, Molly—"

Leon interrupted. "We told them again and left. They followed, and I...convinced them to leave us alone. That's it."

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She nodded faintly, and Mr. Weasley chuckled again.

"What's so funny?" she asked harshly.

Mr. Weasley held out a hand. "...I'm sorry, but the whole thing was funny. Considering..." He trailed off, and everyone who didn't go to Hogwarts, aside from the eldest Weasleys, looked confused. "...They also said rather funny things."

Mrs. Weasley sighed, and looked around the room. "I suppose it's time for introductions?" she said, looking around.

Leon was then subjected to a good twenty minutes of introductions. It was almost like they were in school—they had to give their name and one interesting thing about themselves. Childish? Yes. Did he want to do it? No. But he had to. When the members of the Order finished, Cloud realized that it was his turn. He surveyed the room—somehow, this was worse than at school, but these people were adults, and... He didn't really think bad about the kids at Hogwarts, but the school seemed home to insignificant brats, now.

Cloud awkwardly rubbed his neck. "...I'm Cloud, I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts with Leon, (this was a shock to many people) and..." He frowned.

"Tell us anything!" A witch called.

Cloud's frown deepened. "I have a wing." He fluttered it a little bit.

Everyone who hadn't seen Cloud's wing yet began asking questions Mrs. Weasey snapped loudly, "You can ask questions at diner!" She turned to Leon and said, "Your turn, dear."

Leon said uncomfortably, "I'm Leon—" he had a sudden vision of himself saying, 'and I'm an alcoholic.' He smled a little bit and shook hishead. "There really isn't much to say."

Yuffie yelled, "Just think of _anything_!" She wanted to hurry this along—dinner was calling.

Leon stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm in charge of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. We're fixing our home world."

Deadalus Diggle said slowly, "Home world?"

Leon nodded once,and at the same time, Mrs. Weasley shouted, "Dinner's ready!"

There was mad pandemonium. It was obvious Mrs. Weasley's cooking was to die for—someone almost got trampled in the doorway. Hands pulled at the front of both Cloud and Leon's shirts, and they found themselves unceremoniously thrown into two seats at the table. There was obviously a problem—there were a _lot_ of people, and...not a lot of seats.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at them. She was the one who got the into the room first—she wanted her guests to get to sit and not be stuck on the floor.

The seat's to Leon's right and Cloud's left were fought over a little bit. Cloud couldn't believe it, but in many ways, the members of The Order of the Phoenix were just like the students in Hogwarts. In the end, Hestia Jones and Emmiline Vance sat in the chair to Leon's right, while Kairi (who didn't really care where she sat) and a witch named Leila Burns squeezed onto the chair to Cloud's left.

In fact, everyone else was sitting two-to-a-chair, and there was still people sitting on counters and the floor. A few people were even having a conversation in the living room.

"I'll move." Leon pointed at two wizards leaning against the wall. "You can have my seat."

Mrs. Weasley said hurriedly, "Professor Leonhart, that's really not neces—"

"It's fine." Cloud scooted a bit to the side and let Leon sit down. Leon did so, and moved his plate so it touched Cloud's and was out of the way. A few people seemed surprised, and Tonks's grin widened.

Once everyone got their food, conversation turned to Quidditch, of all things. Cloud ate slowly, avoiding his broccoli. His dislike of broccoli he blamed on growing up in Niebelheim—Niebelheim had trees, right? At one point they did. He felt like he was eating his hometown. ...Yeah.

Cloud nudged Leon with his elbow. "I don't want these," he said quietly. He picked up his plate and scraped them onto Leon's. Leon frowned—he had nothing against the green vegetables, but couldn't Cloud eat just _one_? They were good for you.

Leon speared one with his fork and put it back on Cloud's plate. Just as quietly as Cloud did, he said, "They're good for you."

Cloud shoved back. "I don't want it. He accompanied this with a minute shove to Leon's left shoulder

Leon moved his foot, bracing himself on the chair. Cloud could push, but he would _not_ fall off. He whispered, "just eat one..."

Cloud whispered back, "You're not my fucking mother," and moved his plate back a few inches, away from Leon and into his chest.

Someone asked with a short laugh, "You don't like broccoli?"

Leon and Cloud looked up. A good number of people were staring at them, and a large percentage of said people were laughing. They were probably eavesdropping the whole tie.

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "No."

"Professor Leonhart's right you know. Broccoli is very good for you." Diggle winked at Cloud.

Cloud drew his plate into chis chest more and turned away. "Oh well," he said, leaving no room for discussion, to the great amusement of many.

A short while later, (Cloud had returned his plate to its place by Leon's by now), Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, "I almost forgot! I had your things moved to the last room on the very right of the hallway." She gestured to a few people. "We need your old room to house some guests."

"Alright," Leon nodded once.

After a few seconds, a wizard said, "That room? Isn't that the one with only one bed?"

Mrs. Weasley looked intensely uncomfortable. She had forgotten...

"Well, where's one of you going to sleep?" The wizard continued. "I know the floor in that room isn't very comfortable."

Leon and Cloud glanced at each other, and then stared at the tiny wizard. He gradually got the hint that he was missing something, because he looked around wildly, confused. The occupants of the room who were quicker on the uptake stared at the casual way Cloud and Leon's shoulders touched. Realization dawned on everyone slowly.

"Aaaahh, I get it! So you two are-!"

Ahhh, fuck. The shit was gonna hit the fan now. Who ever thought that they'd be kicked out of the Order of the Phoenix for something like homosexuality? (Or bisexuality, in Leon's case)

Cloud glanced down, not caring to see the disgust on people's faces. When he looked up, he was astonished to see everyone grinning and smiling at him. Only one witch had a negative face—she looked repulsed. Ah well, you couldn't win them all, could you?

Sirius and Tonks were gazing at Lupin, who looked mildly surprised but happy. His watchers turned and glared at each other, Sirius pressing into Lupin a bit more (he was sitting next to him) and Tonks scowled.

All in all, it seemed to have been taken pretty well. Miss I'm-against-gays had her lips pursed, but a few were giving her the evil eye.

After dinner, everyone was pushed out of the kitchen while Mrs. Weasley and her 'helpers' cleaned up. Most of these helpers were her own children, who weren't exactly happy to be stuck with the job.

"You'll realize pretty quickly that no one has any secrets in the Order," Tonks was saying. "We're kind of like a big family." She beamed and nudged him with her elbow. "So...how long have you two been together?"

Cloud flinched. Leon mumbled something about Christmastime.

Tonks said loudly, "Don't be shy!"

They weren't _shy_. Maybe they just didn't like adults staring at them and hanging onto their every word like starved puppies, hmm?

A little wizard asked, "How _did_ you get that wing, Professor Strife?"

Cloud frowned and averted his eyes away from the faces. "A Death Eater."

The mood in the room darkened considerably. Mrs. Weasley called everyone back in, and everyone re-entered the now-clean kitchen.

"You can't."

Cloud turned, to see Mrs. Weasley facing an exasperated (and quickly angering) group of teenagers. Fred and George were at the head of the group.

"But we're _of age_ mum-"

"No! All of you, out! I let you all into the meeting this summer-"

"You didn't let _me_," Ginny yelled.

"Enough." Mrs. Weasley pointed into the living room, and rather reluctantly, they turned away.

Cloud shook his head and sat down at the table. They were lucky this time—no one had to cram into a seat next to someone else. Once the table was filled, no one wasted any time, and very quickly got down to business.

Outside, Sora pouted and looked at the door. Mr. Weasley had told them earlier that they wouldn't be allowed in on the Order's meeting, but now that everyone was here, and said meeting was being held in the next room, he really _really_ wanted in on it.

Fred and George disappeared upstairs, and Harry pulled Sora away from his ear-to-the-door listening. The black-haired boy placed a finger to his lips and pointed at the staircase.

Fred descended the stairs first, eagerly holding out a box of flesh-colored string.

"Extendable ears," George said quietly

Everyone took one and put one into his or her ear. The ends wiggled under the door, and each of the eavesdropping teens could've sworn that the conversation was going on right beside them.

"...-ou know Sephiroth from sometime in your past?" The voice was unknown.

Cloud's voice said in a monotone, "Yes, I do."

"Care to elaborate, Strife?" This was probably the snob-nosed witch.

"In my home world, there is a...program called SOLDIER. Sephiroth was the General."

"General? As in an army?" (Tonks)

There was a moment of silence, where Harry guessed that Cloud nodded.

Lupin's voice entered. "If we're going to admit you into the Order, we have to know a bit about you. Do you object?"

"Not at all."

Moody barked, "Right. First things first. Where're you from?"

Leon replied, "Radiant Garden."

"And you, Strife?"

"Neibelheim."

"How old are you?"

They both replied, "Twenty-seven." Someone whistled, but not for long.

"Who're the kids?"

"Sora, Riku and Kairi are...friends of ours. They're at Hogwarts because we are."

"Speaking of that, how do you know Dumbledore? You two seemed to appear out of nowhere."

"We didn't know Dumbledore," Cloud said. "Merlin—he lives in Radiant Garden—he told us that Dumbledore needed us to teach."

No more words were spoken. Sora giggled, and quickly covered his mouth with his hand. Finally, someone said, "...Merlin?"

"Yeah. He's a wizard who lives with us." Leon sounded confused, as if he was wondering what made Merlin so special.

A wizard stuttered, "T-tall old man, long beard, blue hat, blue robes?"

"Mmm."

_"What?!" _This was shouted by more than a few people.

The Weasleys and Harry looked astonished. Kairi shifted some weight off of her knees and turned around. Ron's mouth hung wide open.

"What's wrong, Ron?" She whispered.

"Blimey...Merlin lived, like, years and years and _years_ ago."

Riku chuckled quietly. He whispered, "Merlin's old, but not _that_ old."

Ron didn't say anything. Harry gestured towards the door. Everyone else had gotten over the 'Merlin' problem, and were now asking questions about Sephiroth.

"...-at does he look like?"

"Long silver hair. He has a wing sticking out of his back too."

"Another wing?"

Another silence—Cloud probably nodded.

Lupin said, "I heard about the...incident in the morning a little while ago. What happened?"

Cloud's voice came slowly. "...Harry and I...passed out at the same time in the Great Hall. I woke up in a small room, and Vold-"

If Ron's reaction was anything to go by, several other wizards and witches cringed and flinched.

"...Sorry. Um, You-Know-Who was in the room with me."

"In the room with you?"

"Yeah. Somewhere close by, Harry was...with Sephiroth. Someone knocked on the door and told him that. Then I woke up."

"You were asleep?"

"He must have been," Leon said. "His eyes were closed, and he...just crumpled."

There was a major topic change. "So, as new members of the Order of the Phoenix, you have to help us, obviously. We don't expect much from you, only that you attend meetings. Basically... we all have guard duty from time to time, but as you're at Hogwarts, I don't think you can help us with that..."

"Guard duty?"

Outside, everyone pressed closer to the door. They hadn't heard what 'guard duty' was yet.

But then Ron sneezed. Loudly.

Harry got up and sprinted for the steps, his feet barely making a sound. Sora didn't have such luck. In his mad dash, he tripped over Yuffie's foot, sending them both down with an almighty crash. They quickly got up and raced upstairs.

Mrs. Weasley stopped the meeting. "Wait. I think I heard something..." She got to the door and flung it open. Nobody was there, but she could see that a few things were wrong—a pen fell of this, a pillow fell of that—but they wouldn't have fallen if not for the children who were _supposed to be in bed_.

She stormed back inside the kitchen, raging. "Did you make the door Impurturable?" She snapped at a poor wizard.

"Um...I don't remember," he squeaked.

Mrs. Weasley clenched her fists and blew out of her nose slowly. It was a scary sight. She shut the door with considerably more force than what was necessary and sat back down again.

--

Leon sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It was pretty funny—the Order tried to be business-like as usual—and that meant being unfriendly to a certain extent—but no one was really able to do it. Well...except for Mad-Eye and that one wittch.

He was kind of thankful for that, because it was no small thing to be accepted into the Order of the Phoenix. A _lot_ of things about their lives had to be laid out in the open. A few people were kind of distressed—Cloud's life wasn't a pleasant one, nor was his. At the moment, all he wanted to do was cuddle Cloud into oblivion. When he mentioned Zack, his eyes turned sad, and his voice was laced with guilt. He was positive that he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Most of the Order members had gone home by now—it was at _least_ one in the morning. Mrs. Weasley ushered them out of the kitchen and told them to get some sleep. That's exactly what they did.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Everyone returns to Hogwarts, Umbridge is a tyrannical lunatic and deals a wicked blow, and Leon and Cloud's dominance problem escalates to a whole new level, like the world has never known!**

**Thanks for the awesome kick-ass reviews! If you haven't been getting replies, I'm sorry**—**I'm not sure if they all go through. You know the drill, minions!**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chaper was just **_**so**_** long, I cut it into two. This one and the next were really fun to write... a **_**lot**_**. Oh! I'm glad that no one forgot about me during the long wait--I was worried. Thank you! Oh, and all of you with this on alerts... you could review, you know. -nudge- -nudge- :D **

**Beware of bad jokes!**

* * *

"Get up! Everyone!"

Leon rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around their little room. Having a room with a bed—a _real_ bed, not two small ones pushed together—certainly made you feel more energized when you woke up. He'd have to get one for Cloud and himself back in Radiant Garden…

He rolled over, to find that Cloud wasn't present. He opened his eyes wider and peered around the room, seeing Cloud glaring at him from a corner of the room. Leon sat up, letting the blanket pool around his waist.

Cloud stared at him, his eyes glowing much more so than usual. Something was going on in that head of his, and he wanted to find out what.

"Professors!"

Cloud looked at the door, which was just knocked on. With a final glance at Leon, he walked out of the room and closed the door. Leon sat still, thinking. Cloud didn't seem _angry_… it was more of a challenging look. Leon shook his head and silently got dressed.

Mrs. Weasley gave everyone breakfast, and hurried them upstairs so they could pack. "You're taking the train—we have to be there early so you'll get there in the afternoon," she said as she prodded George in the back.

Much too quickly, in Leon's opinion, they left the house—to Sirius's displeasure—into a special Ministry car. Kingsley Shacklebolt was driving.

Mr. Weasley explained how rare this was. "The Ministry isn't exactly on our side at the moment. If they knew I was here, they probably wouldn't have leant Kingsley the car."

"Why? Do they side with Vold- erm, him?" Sora eyed Ron's hand, which had come dangerously close to clamping over his mouth.

"No…they just don't believe that he's back." Mr. Weasley slumped. "That's why our job is so difficult. Ninety percent of the population is like the Ministry—they believe that Dumbledore and Harry are liars. Sorry, Harry."

Cloud (who was wedged between Leon and Yuffie) flicked his eyes over to Harry. Being called a lair by a lot of people was never fun.

The ride was remarkably short—Leon could tell that this was no ordinary car. It wasn't short enough, however. Cloud kept giving him weird, heated looks. If the blond was angry, he couldn't say that he knew why. Once, Cloud leant into his right side almost uncomfortably far, which made him lean away and press into the window.

Cloud had stared at him with a scowl on his face for a good minute, while Leon uncomfortably looked away at the city. It unnerved him—the blond was definitely scheming something.

Everyone got out of the car and walked into the station. It was busy, but not nearly to the extent of last time. It was easy to get onto platform nine and three quarters.

The train seemed a tad creepy when there were only twelve people present. Cloud and Leon sat in a compartment somewhere in the middle, and the rest took a few in the back. Once the train began moving, Leon gave the Weasley parents a short wave and rested his back against the window.

He supposed he must have dozed off, because he opened his eyes to see Cloud staring at him again, eating something with a thoughtful look on his face.

Leon groaned and rubbed his neck. Sleeping like that wasn't very smart.

Wordlessly, Cloud got up and handed him a licorice whip. Leon eyed it. "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing, Cloud."

Cloud snorted and took off his gloves. "Sore?"

Leon raised an eyebrow. Was Cloud going to give him a massage? He looked at him and said with pain in his voice, "Incredibly. Fix me." He turned around and scooted backwards on the bench.

Cloud was obviously _something_: angry? Upset? Bothered? Turned on? Nah… Leon eyed his clenching fists.

"…Take off your shirt."

Leon complied, slowly sliding off his jacket and Griever. Once his t-shirt joined them, he sat back down. Cloud's talented hands began to work on the knot in his neck, and Leon let his head fall back and forth with a smile on his lips.

"…You should quit and do this for a profession," Leon said after a minute.

Cloud's hands stilled, and he kept them on Leon's shoulders for a minute. They began moving again, and he said flatly, "Fuck you."

"But Cloud, that's _my_ job."

Cloud's hands suddenly gripped his shoulders painfully tight. He leant forward and whispered into his ear, "Leonhart…I don't think so."

Leon shifted so he could look Cloud in the eye. Cloud's jaw was set—he was _serious_. Leon blinked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Cloud smirked, and once more sat down. "I would think that it's obvious…"

Leon knew that he didn't like this mysterious dark aura coming from his friend. With a sigh, he leant back against Cloud's chest. He felt Cloud stiffen in surprise. He obviously hadn't expected Leon to…just give in so easily.

It was weird—being held in the arms of someone else when you weren't returning the favor. It wasn't unpleasant—far from it. Actually, it was kind of…nice. Leon was surprised when he felt himself relax and lean partly against Cloud's back and partly against the back of the backboard of the bench.

"Did you forget about what happened last time?" He mumbled after a minute.

The relaxed, lazy atmosphere in the room shattered. Cloud sat upright and once more dug his fingers into Leon's shoulders.

"That was a fluke."

Leon twisted around so he could stare into Cloud's eyes. "A fluke? I don't think so."

"Yes, a fluke." Cloud tightened his grip, to the point where Leon could feel upcoming bruises. Cloud didn't seem to notice.

"_Really._" Leon tried his best to make his voice sound disinterested, and he reached for one of Cloud's pumpkin pasties.

Cloud watched him eat it with a weird look on his face. It quickly turned to rage. "Yes, _really_. I'm just as capab—_cut that out!_"

Leon grinned and took his finger (which he had just been sucking on with just a bit _too_ much concentration) out of his mouth. Cloud scowled and they simultaneously made a vow—they would do whatever it took to finally show the other who was boss.

--

The rest of the ride was spent in terse silence—Leon couldn't count how many staring contests he had. He didn't know what was up with Cloud anyway—well, if someone expected _him_ to just be happy with being Cloud's bitch for the rest of his life, he would resist a little bit too. But it wasn't like Cloud was going to be his _bitch_ or anything…he was quite sure that he loved him, and wouldn't do anything that could hurt him.

But that was beside the point. The point _was_… Somehow, Cloud got it into his head that he was the boss in all of this! Leon settled back onto the bench with the kicked-puppy look in full swing without realizing.

Occasionally, someone would pop into their compartment to ask them questions—they quickly left once they sensed the tense atmosphere. Once, Sora walked in on (what seemed to him) a who-can-eat-their-food-the-fastest battle. He rand down the aisle in the train to the back, where most of the others were waiting.

"Do you guys know what's wrong with Cloud and Leon?" He asked once he got back to the others, and Sora accepted Riku's offer for him to sit on his lap.

"M'not sure," Ron said through a mouthful of chocolate, "But I noticed it when I walked by them earlier. Felt like they were going to kill."

"Think so? It looked more like they were about to make out to me."

"Yuffie…" Riku sighed. "Not everything's about Leon and Cloud wanting to make out."

"That's right," Kairi said with a giggle. "Everything's about _you_ and _Sora_ making out."

Sora laughed. "Oh! Did you guys hear? On Friday night, Umbridge was looking for Cloud and Leon."

"Why?"

"I don't know. She was with Snape, though. She looked angry."

"That woman's always angry. She'll be awful on Monday." Yuffie snorted.

"How come?" Sora asked, puzzled.

"Do you remember?" Hermione sounded incredulous. "You had detention yesterday."

Harry groaned. He couldn't believe that they had ditched. Umbridge wouldn't be mad—she would be _furious_.

For the rest of the ride, everyone avoided going down into Leon and Cloud's half of the train. Kairi passed their compartment once or twice, and said when she came back, "They're glaring at each other." It was true—Darkness was actually beginning to ooze out from beneath their closed door. Sora quickly ushered Riku away, saying that he didn't want Riku to be tempted by Darkness again.

--

"The train's stopping," Leon said flatly, looking out the window. He could see Cloud's reaction—the blond slumped against the back of his seat, drained. It was surprising how much energy glaring, staring and trying not to mentally-undress the closest person to you used up.

Cloud inclined his head a little bit and strode out of the compartment. The others were walking up the aisle too. Yuffie grinned at them and said, "I can sense the sexual tension, guys. It's best to let it out before you end up fu-"

Kairi clamped a hand over Yuffie's mouth. "What she means," Kairi said, blushing crimson, "Is that it would be bad to keep everything bottled up. It will come out some day, maybe during breakfast or something…" She trailed off, looking starry-eyed at the idea of Leon and Cloud 'releasing sexual tension' in the Great Hall during breakfast.

Leon turned away from them. What _was_ his problem with Cloud? It couldn't be 'sexual tension', he was a grown man who was in complete control of his emotions.

Cloud gave Leon a sideways glance. He wasn't…not… with a snort, Cloud assured himself that Yuffie and Kairi were lying, and he pictured Leon and himself doing various things that were not meant for young eyes.

He blushed to the roots of his hair and pushed past everyone.

Yuffie stared at his back and said, "What's up with him?"

--

Leon knew something was amiss as soon as Hogwarts came into view. Very few kids were outside, and the ones who were looked high-strung. When they spotted the approaching party, their faces lit up.

"Kairi!"

Said girl turned, to see Seamus racing towards them. He gave Kairi a brief smile and panted, "Umbridge is bad. She was really mad that you guys skipped out on Detention-" he glanced at Harry, Sora and Riku, "-and she was even madder when you weren't around, Professors."

Sora exclaimed, "See? I knew she was looking for you."

Cloud frowned. Umbridge was bad news. He had never met a woman so bitchy and controlling. Never quite as unfair, too.

Once everyone was in the school, Leon stood still, appalled. The very _air_ of Hogwarts was thick with tension—you could cut it with a knife.

"…What's going on?" Hermione asked. She studied the portraits, most of which were stressed out.

Seamus sighed. "Just Umbridge—she went nutty—that's for bloody sure."

That was indeed true—stuck obnoxiously on every available surface (and then some—a few drifted around in the air in lazy circles) were copies of educational decree thirty-four. Harry dubiously read, "By order of Cornelius Fudge, anyone wishing to leave Hogwarts must first have the express permission and consent of Dolores Umbridge, the High Inquisitor." Harry finished reading with his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palm.

"I knew it," Hermione breathed.

--

It was about six o'clock, and Leon staggered past Sir Cadogan. There had been so many questions… Where were you Professors? Are you alright, Professors? What happened, Professors? Did you go back to your homes, Professors? Were you off on a romantic honeymoon, Professors?

Leon's eye twitched at the memory. He didn't remember marrying Cloud. Speaking of which, (Cloud, not marriage) Cloud had been acting _very_ strangely. He was honestly _this close_ to asking the blond if he was having his 'time of the month', because he could not for the life of him come up with a normal reason as to why Cloud would constantly stare at him and give him heated looks.

It was unnerving, really. Surely he couldn't be upset over the whole bottoming thing. Right?

Leon, (who had been sitting in the armchair, deep in thought) swiveled his neck and stared at Cloud. Said man was regarding him silently from the other side of the room.

It couldn't be true… Cloud was serious. Cloud was _serious_. Cloud wanted him, Leon Leonhart, to just bend over and—

"Noooooooo way," Leon said, palms out. He rose from his seat and took several rapid steps backwards, crashing into the wall.

He could not believe it. This wasn't good—Cloud was supposed to submit. That's what Seifer said about Zell! That's what Riku said about Sora! He supposed that he was like Cid—Cid wanted his 'friend,' Vincent, to be completely submisive, but Vincent wouldn't hear any of it. He didn't want to be Cid! Slightly panicking, Leon took giant gasping breaths in rapid succession, making him stumble and crack his head against the wall, all while feeling extremely light-headed.

Cloud stared at the deranged brunet impassively. What the _fuck_ had brought this on?

Leon held his aching head in his hands. When Cloud took a few steps forward, he spluttered, "I swear to god, Strife-"

"Strife?" Cloud asked, interrupting. He grinned slowly, cocking his head. "So…you finally caught on? Took you long enough, dumbass."

He stepped forward enough so he was only inches away. Leon's eyes widened; Cloud could easily see how Leon was trying to deal with this. Who knew he could shake Leon off his rocker this much? Cloud smiled devilishly; this would be _fun_.

"No," Leon rasped out after a minute. He desperately tried to regain his composure. He looked right into Cloud's eyes. "No way."

"No what?" Cloud scooted a bit closer.

Leon swallowed thickly. "No…dammit, Cloud! I'm the…" he trailed off, feeling his face burn.

"Bitch," Cloud deadpanned.

Leon froze, and he turned his neck slowly. He couldn't believe it. How could Cloud think that _he_ was...? _How_ when Cloud was always so adorable and drove him mad with the littlest things? He'd never admit that, of course, but the feelings of needing to ravish Cloud made his skull abnormally thick.

"I'm not," Leon said flatly, and glared into Cloud's eyes, challenging him.

"Think so?" Cloud growled.

For a few seconds, they looked at each other from underneath their bangs, and then they flew together in a mess of teeth. It was official now—this was _war_.

Cloud quickly entwined his hands in Leon's hair and pulled. Leon's head snapped back, and Cloud pushed himself up on his toes so he could push Leon down a bit. Leon made a funny noise when Cloud's lips brushed his neck.

With a shove, Leon pinned Cloud to the wall, and almost choked when Cloud's knee began pushing up in between his legs.

"Professors!"

Leon ripped his mouth away from Cloud's and looked at their doorway. Someone was yelling, probably because Sir Cadogan wouldn't let them in.

There was a short silence. Cloud frowned—what Yuffie and Kairi said wasn't true, was it? They weren't 'sexually frustrated'… But then again, just now… that could have led somewhere.

Cloud felt a surge of anger. That _could_ have led somewhere, but Leon was being pigheaded! It was so blatantly _obvious_ that he was going to pitch. He scoffed at Leon's thinking.

"_Professors!_"

They both shook their heads to clear away some of the fog. Leon climbed down the ladder and opened the door—Ginny Weasley was standing next to Sir Cadogan, looking thoroughly annoyed. She looked at them and giggled.

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything," she giggled again, "but Umbridge-" her voice turned cold, "-is looking for you."

Cloud's semi-bad mood got worse. Umbridge had to butt in on _everything_. He winked his nose at the thought. He much preferred Leon's rear, (not that he had seen it yet—that made him madder) and that put them back in the same position as earlier. This goddamn dominance problem.

"Does she want us now?" Cloud asked Ginny.

Ginny nodded. "I heard her telling a few Slytherins to bring you to her office. I wanted to get here before they did."

"Thanks." Leon would rather not be 'escorted' by Slytherins—they were prone to touch and grope.

Umbridge's office was in a small, far-off corner of the school. No one wanted her near them, so there she was.

Cloud entered the room first (after pushing past Leon—apparently, leading the other around was a sign of dominance) and stopped short, appalled. The room was just so… _revolting._ Kittens, lace… it didn't get any better. Umbridge sat at her desk, 'smiling' at them.

"Sit," she ordered.

The New Professors did so, feeling more than a little dread.

--

This was impossible.

Absurd.

No way.

…_Fuck._

Leon and Cloud stumbled into the Great Hall, shock and disbelief written all over their faces. Sounds came from far away, as though everyone was in a thick fog. Their sorry conditions were immediately noticed.

"What happened?" Sora asked as they numbly walked past the Gryffindor table.

Leon turned his head slightly. He gazed at Sora from the depths of a vast darkness. He shook his head a few times—he looked infinitely better.

"…We're on probation," he said lowly. Cloud flinched—it sounded worse when you said it out loud.

A short silence.

"_WHAT?!"_

Half the room's occupants looked at the Gryffindor table, where several students were on their feet, slack-jawed.

Cloud nodded. "We're part of a criminal investigation and can't teach until it's cleared up."

"A criminal investigation?" Hermione looked skeptical.

"Yeah. We've been accused…" Leon trailed off and looked at Cloud helplessly.

"……We've been accused of molesting a student," Cloud said.

Both men would have laughed at the stricken looks on the kids' faces, but all their humor was gone at the moment, locked in a lead-covered, magic-proof chest with Umbridge squatting over it.

"_Molestation_?"

"Who?"

"They _believe_ that?"

"I sure don't."

"No way!"

"It's true," Leon said heavily. They listened half-heartedly to future Umbridge death threats for a minute or so before ambling to their seats.

Umbridge very nearly got up from her seat, most likely to tell them that this was a 'Professor-only' table, but Dumbledore's anger kept her seated. The old man was rarely angered—but this time he looked _pissed_.

Dinner was a sorry affair—the few who knew about Umbridge's latest move quickly spread it around, and by the end of dinner, a good sixty-five percent of the student population was outraged.

Umbridge sat at the table, smirking. The other professors were clueless—that was probably a good thing, because Professor McGonagall would have been furious.

Leon and Cloud ate slowly. They had no idea what to do with themselves for the upcoming who-knows-how-long. If they couldn't teach, what was the point in staying…?

--

Sora and Riku sat in their favorite armchair, listening to Dean's detailed explanation of how to do a laserflip. Sora was, at any rate.

Hermione walked over to them, leading a sick-looking Harry. She somehow silenced about half the room and said, "We're going ahead as planned, everybody."

A short silence.

"Are you sure?" A third year asked.

"They're on probation," Harry said loudly, shocking himself. He gulped when every eye in the room turned to him, but he knew he had to continue.

"…Yeah. Umbridge put them on probation."

"…_Why?" _A first year said in disbelief.

Hermione said nervously, "She accused them of…m-molesting a student."

"No way."

"…Really?"

"Bullshit."

"Of course it's lies," Hermione snapped. "She's exercising her power—that's why we _have_ to do this." She paused and took a deep breath, flushing a bit. "Anyway, all of you here were interested. I-I thought Harry would be-"

"Are you going to tell us the truth, Potter?" a seventh-year interrupted, rather rudely.

Harry bristled. "I've told the truth about what happened the summer tons of times, and I don't feel like saying it again. If you're only here to hear me say it, then go." No one moved.

"I'm for it, regardless of anything that may have happened earlier," said Riku, standing up. He let his natural attention-drawing abilities work to his advantage—every eye in the room turned to him. "All I know is this—Umbridge is a dick, and I want to do everything I can to make it tough for her."

"Amen," Sora said happily.

"Er…yeah….so, do the galleons work?" Hermione asked. Everyone took out his or her charmed coins and murmured agreement quietly. Everyone who wasn't part of the new down-with-Umbridge group was asleep—they couldn't afford to be overheard.

"So, basically, we're against Umbridge?" Ginny asked languidly. "…Plus added defense," she added with a grin.

"This is so exciting," Sora whispered. "Umbridge won't know what hit her!" He elbowed Harry and said, "So, it looks like you're our new leader, huh?"

Harry frowned, and he looked at his unlikely band of followers, many of who didn't follow him very much at all. So he was.

--

Neither Leon nor Cloud was all that tired that night—Leon sat in the armchair, sprawled over the legs. Later, he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. Cloud lay next to him, motionless. Leon turned, propped himself up on one elbow so he could face Cloud, and stared at the male next to him. The moonlight shone through their window, making Cloud's hair an ethereal color. Leon fought the urge to touch it.

"Cloud…" Leon said slowly. Cloud only slightly moved his right shoulder—the only inclination that he had heard. Leon continued. "Uh… we need to ta-"

For ten long, scary seconds, Leon couldn't breathe. Cloud removed the pillow he had over Leon's nose and laid back upon it, as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell?" Leon exclaimed. Cloud had just _smothered_ him with a _pillow_.

"…I don't want to talk," Cloud said flatly. He turned on his side, away from Leon.

…_Fine_. Two could play that game. Leon rolled over without a second's hesitation and glared at the wall. After a few minutes of silence, he could hear hurried footsteps from downstairs.

"…People are running downstairs," he murmured. Cloud didn't stir. "Wonder why…"

That night was the first time since Christmas when they weren't comfortably wrapped in each others' arms. It was a terribly lonely feeling to be all by yourself for once, and it took both men a long time to fall asleep.

--

"What?"

Cloud stared at the small group of children in front of him. They cast furtive glances around the room.

Hermione nodded. "We don't want you to feel…upset or anything, Professor, but we think that it's best to have a student run thing…and if Umbridge keeps putting you on probation…it's just better if the D.A is functional."

"I don't know anything about this," Cloud muttered. He walked away from them quickly—the Great Hall wasn't very crowded at the moment, and Umbridge wasn't present, but still. After he was just informed that lots of kids had started an "anti Umbridge plus added defense" group called 'Dumbledore's Army', he didn't want to be accused of association. If the kids went down, he wanted to be pretty far away from them.

Cloud sat at the table, ignoring Umbridge, who was grinning at him triumphantly. Leon was in the kitchens, and Cloud waited for the brunet to arrive. When he did, Cloud filled him in.

Leon said slowly, "…so?"

Cloud didn't say anything. He'd let Leon find out on his own.

--

During what was their free period, Leon and Cloud returned to their room. Leon sat on the chair again, frowning at his stomach. He needed a bathroom… Leon got up and walked towards the bathroom door.

"I'd get rid of that if I were you," Cloud said from the bed. "I don't want anything blocking me later."

Leon took his hand off the doorknob as if he was burned. He whirled around sharply and said shortly, wrinkling his nose, "Excuse me?"

Cloud said nothing.

Hmph. Trust Cloud Strife to turn this into toilet humor. Leon sat back down, frowning. Like _hell_ he'd lose this.

--

Outside of what was usually Leon and Cloud's room, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins stood, wondering about the next lesson. The new members of the D.A looked scared, as if they were finally going to see who one of their biggest adversaries was face-to-face. Umbridge called them in after a few minutes. Everyone filed in—only to stop short. The room was covered in pictures of kittens, doilies and lace…but still had the cold-stone look.

Umbridge immediately made Lavender pass out books, and she addressed the class with a feral smile.

"Hello, class. You are all so _very_ far behind." She shook her head, looking at first glance like someone who gave a shit. But she didn't, of course. "In the opinion of Cornelius—excuse me, silly me—The Minister of Magic and myself, you have been learning things that are quite useless and of no importance in the real world."

"No importance?" Yuffie asked. "That dodge Leon taught me saved my life."

"Raise your hand, girl," Umbridge said.

Yuffie gave her arm half a flop and said bluntly, "Then the Minister's dumb."

"Do not talk about those who are smarter and more distinguished than _you_ darling," Umbridge said nastily. Yuffie didn't seem to care.

"Now, if you would please start reading…start on page three."

For the rest of the period, students stared at their books, several reading the same sentence over and over. Hermione's nails dug deeper and deeper into her fists—Kairi hadn't seen her this worked up in a long time.

At the end, Umbridge reminded Riku, Sora and Harry about their detentions later. Like they would forget…

Everyone left later feeling confused, upset, or both.

--

"Enter," a voice said sweetly.

Harry gave Riku and Sora a look and opened the door to Umbridge's office. Umbridge pointed at three small tables on the side of the room and said, "Sit."

They sat.

Umbridge got out of her seat a moment later, giving them a piece of her own parchment and handing them three deadly-looking quills. There wasn't any ink.

Sora asked with a relieved smile, "We just have to write lines?"

Umbridge caught the look on his face. "Yes, Mr. Hikari," she said. "You and Mr. Kobayashi must write _Homosexuality is a sin._"

There was a short pause. "…What?" said Sora.

"Homosexuality _isn't_ a sin," Riku said, quickly getting angry.

"And you, Mr. Potter, must write _I must not tell lies_."

"How many?" Riku asked gruffly.

"I will be the judge of that." Umbridge sat at her desk once more.

Sora frowned and picked up his quill. It felt normal—not like a pen, so where was the ink? He shrugged and tried to write an 'H'. Nothing happened. He dragged the quill along the paper quickly, like one does with a pen. Still nothing, but his hand felt warm. Startled, Sora looked at his hand. It was glowing—bright light siphoned off of his skin.

There were simultaneous grunts of pain from Riku and Harry. Harry stared at a small 'I' cut on his hand, but Riku was hunched over, an agonized look in his eyes.

Umbridge didn't move. Was the boy really _that_ bad with a bit of pain? No…something was…off.

Darkness pooled out of the small incision on Riku's hand. He hissed at Umbridge, "That was full of Darkness! Dark magic…" he cradled his hand to his chest, breathing shallowly.

"R-Riku!" Sora rushed forward, but Riku flung out an arm.

"Stay back, Sora," Riku said. He grit his teeth for a minute, and the Darkness gradually disappeared. "C'mon!" Riku said. He shot Umbridge a furious look and headed towards the door.

Umbridge watched him go, not saying anything. Sora meant to follow, but Umbridge said, "Where are you going, Mr. Hikari? You haven't started your lines…" she glanced at Sora's blank page and his unscathed hand.

"Did you not see that?" Sora asked, pointing at the doorway, which Riku just hurried out of. "That was _Darkness_—Riku's in trouble!" He ran out of the room, ignoring Umbridge.

Harry gulped. He was all alone now… But he couldn't leave. Someone had to stay and show Umbridge that they wouldn't give in. Harry sat stiffly and picked up his quill. He'd do it if it killed him—his pride was much to important. He knew it, too.

--

Riku stumbled into the bathroom. He pushed his way into one of the stalls and rested his forehead against the blessedly cool (and filthy) toilet seat. He breathed deeply for a minute, and he heard Sora run in.

"Riku?"

Riku grunted. Sora opened the stall and put his hands on his shoulders. "A-Are you alright, Riku?"

Riku nodded but promptly threw up, contradicting himself. He muttered, "I-It feels different. As if my body's rejecting it-"

Barf.

Sora frantically held Riku up once his boyfriend began swaying. "Hey! Riku! Stay with me…"

Riku collapsed, crumpling to the floor.

--

If one word could describe their day, Cloud and Leon would not use 'peachy.' The looks Umbridge shot them every time they passed in the hallway didn't help, kids tried to help them with their little 'problem', (which was common knowledge now, of course) and said problem was becoming unbearable.

Leon smashed the heel of his hand into the side of a suit of armor's helmet. It was happily mimicking certain motions that were 'best suited for a bedroom'. Cloud's face turned a pretty shade of pink.

Cloud noticed that they were in the…Charms corridor. Recently, the second-years were actually creating charms, most of which blew shit up and not much else. He felt bad for Professor Flitwick—the man had been covered in bright spiny boils earlier that day. He knew one thing for certain—he wasn't going to be on the receiving end of one of _those_ spells, no sir.

Famous last words.

"Hey, Professors!" A second year and his friends hurried towards them.

_Shit_. Cloud pretended to see someone waving for him, and he turned the other way. No such luck.

"Look Professors, we have something that will help you-"

"Look, Reitz—we really don't have that much time," Leon said quickly.

"It's all right—look! _Pierovel_!"

Jets of rainbow-colored light burst out of Reitz's wand, hitting both men in the chest. They didn't even hear the gasps and shouts from the students.

* * *

**Whew, another one down.**

**Next Chapter: Leon, Riku and Cloud get to stay in St. Mungo's, Leon and Cloud say some **_**interesting**_** things, you (the readers) get to meet the chicken man, Umbridge and Snape are mean, and Leon and Cloud's battle escalates to the point where young kids must shield their eyes.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Once again, sorry for the wait! **

**This chapter contains: cursing, OOC, etc, etc...**

* * *

Sora fidgeted in his seat. It had been two days since Leon, Cloud and Riku were admitted into St. Mungo's. Apparently, when Cloud and Leon came to in their beds in the hospital, all hell was let loose.

Even _he_ was smart enough to know that using a charm that supposedly 'boosted sex drives' to two _very_ sexually frustrated men wasn't smart.

Riku was supposedly fine, but he hadn't slept in the whole two days. Yuffie, Kairi and himself were the only ones allowed to see them—Harry, Ron and Hermione weren't close enough (a.k.a their 'family' at Hogwarts) to any of the ill, and weren't granted permission to visit from Dumbledore.

Sora was now in a Ministry car once more, on his way to St. Mungo's. Tonks was driving (why, he had no idea) and occasionally glancing in the dashboard mirror at Sirius (who looked like Dedalus Diggle, courtesy of polyjuice potion) and Lupin, who were laughing quietly next to the window in the backseat beside Sora. Mrs. Weasley fretted in the passenger's seat; she freaked when she heard the news.

Apparently, (according to the eye-witnesses) a second-year cast a spell that was supposed to help them with their 'problems', but knocked them out for nine hours straight. During those nine hours, Leon and Cloud were sent to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey tried to wake them up. Nothing worked, not even her more powerful potions.

They began panting and moaning each others' names after an hour or so. Madam Pomfrey blushed crimson and all but screamed in their ears. Nothing. When she could see that they were _excited_ and that they weren't waking up anytime soon, she threw in the towel and wiped her hands of them.

Sora had lugged Riku to the Hospital Wing himself. Riku seemed pretty normal during the time Sora carried him—maybe a bit hot, but that was it.

When Madam Pomfrey touched Riku's forehead, her hand came back scalded. Darkness rose off of his body like evaporating sweat—Madam Pomfrey panicked and sent Riku to St. Mungo's with Leon and Cloud, after a long time of sitting in a bathtub, unconscious. Sora had to be there those nine awful hours—an unconscious person couldn't save themselves from drowning.

The car finally stopped at an ordinary-looking street. Everyone piled out of the car, and Moody led everyone through a maze of streets and stores to a building called Purge and Dowse Ltd.

The place looked extremely run-down and creepy; Sora wondered if they were at the right place. It even had 'closed for refurbishment' on it.

Tonks eyed a decrepit-looking dummy and said softly, "We're here to see Riku Kobayashi, Squall Leonhart and Cloud Strife…"

The dummy nodded once, and Sora was shoved through what felt like water, to emerge into a packed room full of people squeaking, screaming, burping uncontrollably, and in once case, quacking.

Tonks avoided stepping on an elderly woman's monkey-like tail on her way to the reception desk. A bored-looking witch sat still, filing her nails.

"Wotcher… we're here to see Riku Kobayashi."

The witch looked at a list in front of her. "That'll be Artifact Accidents, ground floor. Won't tell us what made him so sick, though." She seemed even more bored.

"We're also here to see Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart," Tonks said.

The witch laughed, finally looking alert.

"Those two? They're the talk of St. Mungo's. I almost laughed myself to death when they came in. That's Spell Damage, fourth floor, third door on the left."

Everyone went to visit Riku first. Riku was propped in his bed, scowling at the magazine in his lap. His face brightened considerably when he saw them. A boy about seventeen (who had a pipe sticking out of his forehead) said, "See? You get visitors—and nothing's the matter with _you—_no horrible disfigurements! No freaking _pipe_ in your _forehead_! No, you're the pretty boy with the pretty face who has an easy life and is only surrounded by that black stuff—I ask you, what makes you so popular? I see my bed side's empty-"

"Dan!" Riku said sharply. "Shut up."

Sora grinned happily and bounced over to Riku's bed, leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Ahh, now he's _gay, _this is just freaking perfect, the gay perfect kid's gonna try to get me when I'm asleep—just prey on the freaking kid with the freaking _pipe_ in his freaking _forehead_-"

"Daniel!" A rotund witch in a green robe came into the room. She glared at Dan sternly and said, "If you keep that up, I'll put you in the room with the poor girl with the _live maggots_ in her forehead. Would you like that?"

"No ma'am," Dan said meekly.

"Sorry about that," the witch said, sounding stressed. "Continue." She walked out.

"Uh…okay…um, how're you doing?" Sora asked. Riku sat up, dropping his magazine to the floor.

"I feel fine," he said with a smile. "In fact—a lot better than I have in awhile."

"What made you so sick, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Riku glanced at Sora. "…I'd rather not say," he said finally.

"Fair enough," Sirius said. "You're alright, and that's what matters." Riku shrugged.

"We'd best visit Professor Strife and Professor Leonhart," Mrs. Weasley said. "We don't have all that long…"

Sora decided to stay with Riku; the rest said goodbye and left to go to the fourth floor. The fourth floor's hallways were considerably fuller than before. A large number of witches and a wizard or two filtered in and out, several giggling uncontrollably and blushing. It was an odd sight. One witch came out of what was now recognized as Leon and Cloud's room, wiping her eyes and holding her stomach.

Mrs. Weasley pushed past a few Healers and poked her head inside. A long curtain in the center of the room practically divided the room in half. Leon lay in the bed closest to the doorway, mumbling something; another witch turned crimson and had to leave the room.

Only Cloud's feet could be seen from where they were standing. One was moving up and down—he must have been dancing to something in his head, because no one else could hear any music.

"Excuse me," Mrs. Weasley said loudly.

A witch said, "Are you here to see the Professors?"

Nod.

"Ah…okay. You have twenty minutes…they have to be-" she snickered, "-constantly monitored." The Healers filed out with last looks at the bed-ridden men.

"Squall?" Yuffie bent over Leon and slapped his cheeks with her hand gently.

Leon's eyes opened a fraction. He stared blankly at them for a second. Then, "…Clouuuud?"

A grunt from the other side of the room.

"I just had a great idea."

"What zur idea?" came a slurred voice.

"Fishnet," Leon breathed slowly. "Fishnet'd be hot."

There was a moment of silence, where the men's guests stared at each other, slack-jawed. Finally, Cloud said, "Me'n 'ishnet, you'n 'ishnet, 'r both of us'n 'ishnet?"

Leon bit his lip and stared at the ceiling as if he was contemplating the biggest question in the world. He said after a minute with a relieved smile, "Both of us in fishnet would be hot."

"Hmm-hmm…"

Mrs. Weasley said nervously, "Professor Leonhart? Leon?"

Cloud and Leon laughed like crazy people—Leon threw his head back and arched off the bed, while Cloud sounded like a hyena.

"Hey—Cloud!?" Leon said loudly.

Cloud replied just as loudly, "What, Leon?"

Leon chuckled. "You should call me Professor…that'd be hot."

"'Rofezzur," Cloud mumbled. Leon giggled and covered his mouth with his hand.

Yuffie and Kairi dissolved into silent laughter. Sirius pushed back the curtain separating the beds. He immediately regretted it.

Cloud propped himself up on one elbow and gaped at Leon's disheveled figure. There was practically the whole running-through-the-flowery-meadow thing going on.

"Leon!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Cloud!" Leon exclaimed.

Cloud attempted to stumble out of bed, but jets of red light shot out of his bed frame and held him down. Leon choked and tried to help Cloud—the same thing happened to him.

Kairi and Yuffie excused themselves, running off, probably to tell Riku and Sora.

Leon giggled. "Hey…Cloud…"

"Yeah, Pro'ezzur?"

Another giggle. "…This is kind of like bondage…we gotta try it once we get out. Bondage is hot."

"You're 'ight. We should try it…"

Leon unceremoniously fell asleep, as if nothing at all had happened. Cloud stared at the ceiling mutely.

"L-let's go," Mrs. Weasley muttered. She left the room quickly. Tonks followed, laughing. 'Diggle' and Lupin left as well, with a final glance at Cloud, who began whistling 'Faggot', and then tried to say the words as fast as they were in the actual song.

- - - - - - - -

_What a headache…_

Cloud's eyelids fluttered open. He was in a hospital room…he had been in many, and they all kind of looked the same. This one was lacking lots of machines, however. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what landed him in here. He didn't remember being stabbed by anything…

He gave up, and opened his eyes again (they were closed when he was thinking). A flash of green caught his eye—he turned his head to see no less than ten witches looking at him, a few giggling, and one holding something that looked like a video camera.

"Professor Strife?" one asked.

Cloud blinked at her.

"What-" she laughed silently. "-What were you saying about the advantages of lubricant before you fell asleep?"

Another blink. He said _no such thing_. Cloud reached the conclusion that all these people were crazy, and he tried to sit up.

They let him, and a witch said, "Don't you remember, Professor? You-" a laugh, "-said that you and Professor Leonhart needed to use lots of lube because it would hurt if you didn't!"

Cloud said calmly, (betraying what he felt on the inside), "Who are you, and why am I here?"

Their faces turned to shock. One gaped and spluttered, "I-you're back to normal?"

"Answer my questions," he said menacingly.

All of them hightailed it out—more appeared from behind a light blue curtain. Now the room was empty, except for light breathing from the other side of the room. Cloud frowned deeply and peeled off his paper garments after moving the curtain so no one could see.

Once sufficiently clothed, Cloud pushed back the curtain—to have a heart attack.

Leon was in the other bed, asleep. Jets of red light bound him to the bed. Cloud tried pulling at one—his hand couldn't get a grip on it, like water on glass.

After a minute of studying it, Cloud got his Buster Sword, which was conveniently lying against the wall. As soon as his hand touched the hilt, an elderly Healer walked into the room. Cloud put the sword down.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," the Healer said with a smile. He held out a hand, and Cloud shook it.

"I'm Healer O'Donnell," the man said with a distinct Irish accent. "I am the one who's actually been _healing_ you, eh, laddie?" Healer O'Donnell winked. Cloud said nothing.

"Alright—first things first. Take a seat—that's a good lad—do you know why you're here?"

Cloud frowned. "No."

"Do you remember anything from the past week?"

"…No."

Healer O'Donnell chuckled. "None a'tall?" Cloud shook his head. "Where to start…okay—you and Professor Leonhart were at Hogwarts when you got hit with a charm. Do you remember that?"

Cloud glared at the ground, thinking. He said finally, "…I think so."

"Hmm…I believe you spent some time in the Hospital Wing, but you both didn't wake up, so you were shipped here. The charm was an…interesting one."

Cloud didn't like the sound of _that_.

"It's better if I show you-" Healer O'Donnell jabbed a thumb towards a corner of the room, where there was a tiny video camera. "We _do_ occasionally get a Muggle or two in here—we gotta tape 'em so they don't do anything funny."

He left the room quickly, and Cloud was left alone with an unconscious Leon. Cloud stood over the brunet, frowning again. He brushed a few sweaty locks of hair off Leon's forehead and placed a palm on it. He didn't seem hot, which was a good thing. Cloud sat on his own bed and waited.

Healer O'Donnell returned a few minutes later, holding a frail hand to his chest. He mumbled something about "larkey" and said, "It's a madhouse in the surveillance room; I knew you were popular, but not _this_ popular."

He suddenly roared at the ceiling, "I think some of you should _get to work!" _He turned around and sighed heavily. Cloud thought he heard a muttered, "Blarney."

Something rustled from the other side of the room. Cloud pushed back the curtain again and watched as Leon stirred and opened his eyes.

"Hello, Professor Leonhart," Healer O'Donnell said pleasantly.

Leon rubbed his eyes and stared at the Healer for a minute. Then he said, "Heyy…Clouuuud!?"

Cloud flinched. He looked at Healer O'Donnell, who grinned. "Answer him," he said.

"…Yeah?" Cloud asked nervously.

"Hey…I thought you said you'd call me Professor," Leon said, frowning. "It's hot." When Cloud did nothing but stare at him, wide-eyed, Leon said, "Call me Professor, Clouuddd…"

Cloud ignored him. "What happened?" he asked.

"The charm that hit you apparently boosted your sex-drives and made you think everything was innuendo," Healer O'Donnell said bluntly, as if this happened all the time. "You were the same, even a few hours ago."

Cloud raked a hand through his hair—a habit he had picked up from Leon. He said uncomfortably, "…Why is he…still sick?"

"Ah! Good question, me boy—you have something in your blood stream that's a bit odd. In fact, we've never seen anything like it—our potions seemed to react well to it."

"Mako," Cloud muttered.

"Anyway, we think that it should take Professor Leonhart another day or t-"

"_Cloud!"_

"What?" Cloud glanced at Leon.

"Call me Professor…then you can call me-"

"Professor," Cloud said quickly. He didn't want to hear the end of that sentence.

"We're used to it by now," Healer O'Donnell said.

_Great._

"Hey Cloud," Leon said dreamily.

"…Yes?"

"D'you know what would be hot?"

"…What?"

"Whips," Leon said suddenly. "You look like the kind of person who likes a little pain."

Cloud was horrified. He could tell his mouth was _wide_ open.

"D'you know what else would be hot? _Reeeaaaallyyy _hot?" Leon didn't wait for an answer. He continued with, "Strawberries. And chocolate. And whipped cream. And a cherry." Leon stared at Cloud and broke out in perverted giggling.

Cloud flushed. He did his best to ignore the brunet and looked at the Healer again.

Healer O'Donnell cackled and left the room, to bring in a T.V. on a cart. He put in a tape that he had with him, cursing 'Muggles and their confusing do-hickeys.'

He stepped back a minute later, and jabbed the 'play' button. On the screen was a date in the corner—early Tuesday morning—and Cloud watched himself and Leon be wheeled into the room on stretchers. Dumbledore was there; he seemingly found intense humor in the situation.

Leon giggled some more when whoever was in the surveillance room at the time zoomed in on Cloud's tented pants. Cloud felt himself go crimson.

It was fast-forwarded to a time later that day, when Leon woke up. He seemed normal for a second, but then shot out of bed and leant over Cloud. He shook Cloud awake, and the two engaged in a tongue-battle of epic proportions. Healer O'Donnell skipped ahead with a cough, and they watched as Healers came into the room and pulled them apart almost comically fast. Cloud heard mini-conversations between Leon and himself—why had he sounded so drunk? Leon sounded normal (if not a bit high-pitched) and was only ten times—no, a hundred times—more perverted than usual.

Cloud settled into his seat and crossed his arms; this was not going to be pretty.

- - - - - - -

"Okay, so you've got it, Professor?"

Cloud nodded. Seemed easy enough.

"We're sure that'll be enough money—if not, charge it on Hogwarts." The Welcome Witch smiled.

"Can I do that?" Cloud asked.

The witch shrugged. "I don't know. You're looking for 312 Adams Avenue, got it?"

"Yeah…thanks." Cloud hoisted his Buster Sword higher on his shoulder and left.

There was a slight problem. Leon was still in loopy-perv land, and there wasn't enough room for him (Cloud) to stay in St. Mungo's when he wasn't sick. He was given four hundred dollars in Muggle money (It seemed like nothing in Cloud's opionion. Four hundred Munny couldn't get you much in Radiant Garden) and was told to buy a room at some overnight hotel thing down the street. Not fun.

It was about five o'clock—he had spent most of the day being examined by Healers—and he was starved. He walked into "Water Drop" (what a stupid name) and purchased a room from an elderly woman at the desk.

"You are lucky that we have the vacancy, eh mister-man? Where is your girlfriend—she come later?"

Cloud didn't think it was any of her business who he brought anywhere. "Just me," he said flatly, and he took his key. The trip to his room was a weird one—people in the hallways stared at him relentlessly. Hadn't they seen someone with a Buster Sword before?

His room was small—a double bed against the wall, a small, dirty bathroom…_perfect. _That was sarcastic. Cloud dropped off his sword—he didn't want to be arrested by the police or something—and left again.

Cloud strolled around the streets, hands in his pockets. It was still dark early—It'd be dark in another hour or so. Cloud stepped inside a pleasant-looking French restaurant.

A blushing waitress quickly led him to his seat where he sat still, ignoring the curious looks he received from a group of teenagers on the opposite side of the room. Cloud ate his food in silence—never before had he felt so…missing. He noticed that he missed Leon.

It was a lot darker when he left—the waitress convinced him to have dessert. He saw a few 'night walkers' on the prowl, and he steered clear of them—he didn't want a repeat of last time.

- - - - - - -

…He felt like shit. To put it mildly. With the barest flicker, Leon opened his eyes. He rested for a second and tried again. There was a yellow blob near his hip—Leon rubbed his eyes and found out that the blob was Cloud, fast asleep in the chair beside the bed, head dangerously close to his crotch.

It was a bit odd—the way he was feeling. Inappropriate thoughts flitted through his head so quickly that he couldn't grasp them, and they slipped through his metaphorical fingers. Hmph.

Leon cast an eye towards the door—several young females in green were cooing at the cute sight they must have made. Double Hmph.

He couldn't really place a finger on exactly why he was here. He judged that it had been at least a few days—he could feel some stubble on his chin. A week, maybe?

"Oh!" came a voice from the doorway. A middle-aged woman in green robes quietly shut the door behind her and tiptoed over to the bed, not wanting to wake Cloud up.

"How are you, Professor?" she asked pleasantly. "Can I get you something? Please don't say condoms again."

Leon sat up so fast it wasn't even funny. He said loudly, "I said _what_?"

The woman's mouth fell open. She flushed and said, "You're back to normal, then?"

"…Where are we?"

"St. Mungo's—you've been here for almost a week, dear."

Leon glanced at his body—no wounds, as far as he could see. "Why am I here?" he asked.

The witch sighed. "I'll go get Healer O'Donnell," she muttered. She walked out of the room.

"So you're better now, eh?"

Leon turned his head; lying in the other bed was a young man with floppy brown hair. He looked friendly.

"I gotta say, these past two days have been some of the best of my life," the man said happily. "You're a funny du- BLAAAAAAAAAACK!!"

The man rotated his neck and flapped his bent arms like a chicken. Leon was so startled, he almost fell out of bed.

The man hiccupped. "Wow…sorry 'bout that. My name's C- BUCAW! –C-Cosmo…"

Cosmo rubbed his neck. "I'd wake Strife up, but the last time I woke him out of his sleep, he swore—BAAAACAW!—that he'd kill me if I woke him again…"

Leon gently shook Cloud. Cloud didn't respond. Leon tried again, and when that didn't do anything, he pinched the blond's nose shut. Cloud's eyes snapped open, and he had a fist headed towards Leon's face before the brunet could blink.

Leon moved his head just in time—Cloud's fist hit his pillow with a crack. He had obviously broken the bed.

Cloud stared at Leon for a full minute before saying, "Hmph. You're awake. You couldn't have hurried up?"

Leon grinned. "Sorry about th-"

"BUCAW!"

"…at…" Leon and Cloud stared at Cosmo.

"'Nother lad's up, eh? Alrighty—hullo, Leonhart!"

Healer O'Donnell came into the room, dragging a T.V. cart behind him. Cloud placed a hand to his forehead and said nothing.

- - - - - - - -

"_They're back!_" someone screamed.

When Leon opened the doors to the Great Hall, they were suddenly assaulted by students. They shoved presents into their arms, a few were crying… Shiva, you'd think that they were dead.

Umbridge looked sour—it was obvious that she had enjoyed being in control when they weren't around.

They took their places at the Professors' table. Leon had to balance several boxes of things from various stores—none of the students had heard their 'we don't need this' statements.

"So, Leonhart," beamed Professor Flitwick. "I've heard about your _illness_," he winked, "and I'd like to hear it from you, if that's okay."

Cloud frowned. He could see several people leaning towards them. Nothing was ever private for long in this school.

Leon said uncomfortably, "…We weren't…right…in our heads."

"Really?" Flitwick grinned toothily. "Give me an example."

Cloud's heart quickly sunk. _Shit_. Leon glanced at him, a sign that he was supposed to talk. Cloud said reluctantly, "…I said some things that weren't…uh, appropriate."

Hagrid laughed. Hagrid sported a monstrous bruise on his cheek—Cloud couldn't think of anything that could give you a bruise that size.

After dinner was over, Dumbledore welcomed them back in front of everyone. Leon picked up a large amount of get-well-soon presents (they weren't delivered to St. Mungo's for some reason) and balanced them in his arms, placing his Gunblade on his hip as well.

They had trained eyes now—it was easy to see the students who were lingering about, eyeing the boxes in their arms. Cloud had a horrible vision of lost time. He remembered sporting a potion-drunk Leon Leonhart, and he remembered all those laughs. That was bad; there was no way he was going to let Leon (or himself) drink anything.

With a sigh, he placed his gifts on the table, glancing around the room at the select number of students, letting them know that he knew they were there and that he was going to open a goddamn present.

Leon stood still, watching. Cloud lifted the lid of an orange box—to choke and stare at Leon, shocked.

The brunet had seen them too; his eyes were wide, and a pretty blush crept up from his neck. Cloud pushed it away from him. Where had students at Hogwarts gotten...toys…like that? What was in that box wasn't matchbox cars or marbles, that was for sure.

"Gaia," Cloud whispered. He gathered everything once more, and they pushed out of the Great Hall. Several students giggled to themselves.

Later that night, Cloud sat cross-legged on the floor in nothing but his boxers, thinking. He could feel Leon's gaze travelling over every inch of his exposed skin, but he ignored him. He frowned at the floor and closed his eyed.

Life was back to normal (a bit) and he couldn't say that he was happy about it. Things were tense again. Their new stash of stuff was now under their bed (their two mini ones were replaced with a big, comfy king-sized one, how convenient) and both of them were incredibly embarrassed. Leon had put the things away, imagining all the 'fun' he could have with Cloud using those. Cloud had grabbed their new fishnet shirts (the kids heard about Leon saying that? What the hell?) and stuck them in the dresser without another word.

He had then felt rather hot, so he stripped himself down to his undergarments and plopped down on the floor.

Cloud thought deeply about everything. He felt kind of in over his head—Leon seemed seconds away from banging on his chest like Tarzan (Sora said that he had never actually _seen_ Tarzan do this, but he had heard rumors) and challenging him to a test of manliness and strength.

Cloud opened his eyes and gazed at Leon, who stared back with a small smile playing on his lips. For a minute, they did nothing but stare. Finally Leon said, "Want to try out our new presents?"

With a snort, Cloud turned away. He actually would like that very much. At this point, he really didn't give a fuck about who…well, gave a fuck. Just _anything_ would suffice… There. It was said. Thought, to be correct. A tremendous weight lifted itself off Cloud's shoulders.

Now he wasn't totally averse to catching, but he still wanted to prove that he could top. It was in his nature.

The fire glowed brightly for a second, and a letter zoomed out, almost taking off Leon's head. He opened it curiously.

**To: Professor Leonhart and Professor Strife**

_Please join us in the dungeons in a half hour's time. There will be no need to tell anyone._

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy**_

"…Dammit," Leon breathed.

Exactly half an hour later, Cloud and Leon made their way to the dungeons, Cloud totally dressed again, and Leon, who wasn't happy about that.

A boy with bright red hair (who bore a strikingly close appearance to the Weasleys) met them in the hallway and ushered them into Snape's office.

The Minister of Magic, Umbridge, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, a few witches, and an evil-looking wizard sat in hard chairs, a few talking among themselves. Snape came out of his office swirling a clear liquid around in a bottle.

"I've brought them, sir," said the red head.

"Good work Weasley," said Fudge. Cloud glared—this was probably Percy, the one who made Mrs. Weasley cry all the time.

"So…we'll separate you for the investigation," Fudge said gruffly, quite unlike the friendly man they had met before. "Leonhart, follow me."

Leon grasped Cloud's hand tightly for a brief second before leaving to the room next door. Cloud could sense that Leon was afraid—at least a little bit. He didn't want Leon to be afraid of anything.

He was told to sit in a stone chair in the center of the room. Fudge returned a minute later alone. An odd-looking glass that looked like a plate was set on Snape's desk, and pretty colors danced on the wall.

"This is simple," the mean-looking wizard said. "We're going to check to see if the charges brought against you hold some truth. I'd much rather do this in the Shackle chair," he glanced at Dumbledore, "but we'll do this here."

"The Veriatsum, Serverus?" Umbridge held out a hand.

Cloud eyed it warily. Snape explained in a cold voice, "This makes you tell the truth."

His Buster Sword was taken and leant against the wall. Snape poured some of the clear liquid down Cloud's throat, while one of the witches snapped a picture—she probably was with the Daily Prophet.

…He didn't feel any different. He blinked up at everyone. Was the truth going to blurt out of him without his control?

"Professor?" Asked Professor McGonagall. "Strife?"

"Uh…Yeah?"

Snape frowned deeply. He said coldly, "What is your name?"

"Cloud."

"Tell me this quill is blue," Fudge said, holding up a brown one.

"The quill is blue," Cloud said, confused.

The room's occupants looked surprised. Umbridge said nastily, "Are you sure that was Veriatsum, Snape?"

"Quite," Snape sneered. "It appears that it is ineffective."

"We'll have to use the L-glass," Fudge said shortly. "See to it."

Snape sighed and pulled out his wand. He glanced at the mirror-like device on the table and faced Cloud. He said, "Try to relax. I will attempt to break into your thoughts—you cannot lie this way. You are not an occlumens?"

Cloud had no idea what that meant. He stared blankly.

"I will take that as a no." In a bored voice Snape continued. "Everything I see will be seen on this wall," he gestured at the wall with the multi-colored spots on it, "as to be reviewed."

Snape (as well as everyone else) moved back. Cloud clutched the chair and tried to relax.

"Clear yourself of all thought, and do try not to retaliate…"

Snape said loudly, "Legillimens!"

This was very weird. Cloud saw himself as a cadet (gosh he looked small). He saw a series of different instances of himself and Zack—he felt his heart clench uncontrollably and guilt claw at his stomach.

He saw Sephiroth in all his glory—had he really stared at Sephiroth with such big, worshipping eyes?

_Snape doesn't need to see this,_ Cloud thought._ What is he doing?_

It skipped to him and Zack eating lunch together—he found he terribly missed their banter and joking. He missed Zack.

_No,_ Cloud thought as he saw Zack prop his body against that rock he knew so well. _I can't see this again…_

He raised a feeble arm to try to stop Zack. Nothing happened. Next was all that rain falling, and him screaming and screaming over Zack's body until his lungs gave out—

Someone shouted. Cloud became aware again; he had his Buster Sword held against Snape's neck, with three wands pointed at his face. Cloud backed up, trembling and breathing heavily.

Dumbledore looked deeply sad. Cloud sat back down, letting his sword fall. He stared at his hands, which were shaking. "Z-Zack," he whispered.

"None of that taught us anything," Fudge said bluntly. Snape went to his stores and came back with another clear potion.

"This will stop any more outbursts," Snape said to the room, and he made Cloud take a swig. Cloud immediately felt drained and tired. He doubted that he could lift a finger.

"There. _Legillimens!_"

He was in suffocating darkness; this was incredibly familiar. Next was the Coliseum once again, fighting Sora. Sora was then replaced with Leon—this was the first time they had met.

Hollow Bastion was back—he was in his current clothes, greeting everyone for the first time. Next he was back-to-back with Leon in the Ravine Trail, smirking and looking at Heartless.

He was fighting Sephiroth and listening to how he was too weak and Darkness was too strong.

Now it was fighting with Leon in the Dark Depths. Then was Diagon Alley, their first day at Hogwarts and the competition.

Cloud panicked when he saw Leon's lips move towards his own on Christmas day.

_You don't want to see that,_ he thought. Just as their lips brushed, he was watching himself tie up Leon's legs with a smirk. He was reminded of how _that_ turned out.

With a jolt, Cloud remembered that the Ministry wasn't on his side. If Snape showed them anything about Grimmauld Place, they were fucked.

Luckily, Snape didn't. Cloud saw a few scattered images of himself and Leon in St. Mungo's, and everything went fuzzy, to be replaced with a series of images of himself and Malfoy.

Everything—every instance of contact with Malfoy he had (even the one where he was kissing Leon behind a wall and they had to break apart hurriedly because Malfoy and the fat goons were about to walk by) was shown. Malfoy must've been the one who clamed that he was molested.

Eventually, it stopped. Cloud became aware of being slumped over the edge of his chair, exhausted. The people talked for a minute, then filed out without a word to him. Dumbledore stayed behind, however.

Dumbledore stared at the ground. "I am sorry we had to invade your privacy like that. We did not mean to stir up painful memories," he glanced at Cloud's once-more shaking hands, "but we had to. Molestation—do you understand?"

"Yeah," Cloud said softly. He waited until Dumbledore left, closing the door with a click before hugging his knees to his chest. The old wound was open. He didn't really care about what just happened, and how much of his life was just laid out in the open, but did he have to see Zack's bloody body again? That was something he only saw in his nightmares these days.

- - - - - - - -

Leon stopped flicking his bangs when a crowd of people walked in. Cloud wasn't with them. Professor McGonagall looked troubled and whispered something to Dumbledore, who came in a minute after the others.

"How's Cloud?" Leon asked. "Where is he?"

"He's fine," Professor McGonagall said. "A bit shaken up, but that's all. He's next door."

"This will be simple," Snape recited with a snarl. "I will give you Veriatsum; you will speak the truth." He wasted no time—almost immediately, he shoved the bottle past Leon's lips and tilted it.

Leon slumped forward in the chair. His eyes dulled.

"What is your name?" Asked a wizard.

"Squall Leonhart," Leon said in a flat voice.

The man nodded once at Percy. "Leonhart, have you ever had inappropriate thoughts about any of the students?"

"No," Leon said. It sounded like he would roll his eyes if he was more alert.

"What do you think about Draco Malfoy?"

"I don't like him," Leon said. "He puts down the other students and is often a brat."

"Do you wish him harm?"

"No."

"I'll say it then—have you molested Draco Malfoy?"

"No."

"The poor boy told me himself," Umbridge said, interrupting. "The Veriatsum is faulty, Serverus."

Snape bristled. "I assure you, it is fine. I do not make mistakes." It hurt Snape to admit it, but he said, "The only other option is that the Malfoy boy lied to you."

Leon was revived. He was allowed to leave, forgoing an interview with a reporter. He met Cloud in the hallway—he looked…fragile.

Leon held Cloud's hand the whole way to their room, not caring if anybody saw. Once they were in the room, he wrapped his arms around Cloud and held him tight, their feud temporarily forgotten.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked. "Wha'd they do to you?"

Cloud exhaled deeply and sagged into Leon's arms, tired of keeping his 'tough guy' façade up. Cloud breathed steadily into Leon's neck for so long, Leon feared that the blond had fallen asleep standing up.

Finally Cloud said, "…I saw Zack. He's from my world."

"Dark hair?" Leon mumbled. "Purple eyes?"

Cloud stepped backwards, shocked. Leon smiled sadly. "I saw a picture of him once in the Room of Requirement—I didn't know he was important to you then. Sorry."

Cloud averted his gaze and walked into the bathroom. "S'alright," came a quiet voice a few seconds later.

After they both showered and laid down, Leon turned off the lights and tucked Cloud's head under his chin. There wasn't any comments or jokes, nor much of anything else, save cuddling. Cloud was thankful for that.

- - - - - - -

Breakfast was a happy affair the next morning. Umbridge looked sour—but that wasn't anything new. Cloud was actually rather shy today. They had such a tough streak, and then there was that tender, gushy moment from the previous night. He could feel his willpower slipping—it was today or never, he decided.

Their first class was torture. They were asked so many questions, Cloud wished he was still on probation. Still, the exuberant mood was infectious. Leon was in such a good mood, he assigned them homework (a seven-inch essay on the pros and cons of saying incantations out loud).

Throughout the whole day, Professors and kids told them how happy they were that the D.A.T.D.A Professorss were back. During lunch, they were assaulted with another round of gifts. Once they were stashed away in their room, they got ready for their next class with little amused half-smiles on their faces. It was good to be back.

- - - - - - -

An hour and a half or so before dinner, Cloud and Leon walked onto the grounds. It had been awhile since they had fought, and a rusty swordsman was a dead swordsman.

They faced each other a small distance apart and readied their swords. Almost tangible electricity shot from their eyes—this fight was going to be a big one.

Simultaneously, they launched at each other. The clang of metal on metal rang through the air, causing many students to peer out of the school. The fight was almost desperate—there was an assortment of dirty tricks, expert swordsmanship, and magic. Leon's firaga was especially devastating. Neither man wanted to give in, so the crazy battle lasted for a whole hour and fifteen minutes.

Both Professors were thankful that Sora came out and told them to come inside, because both doubted that they could have gone on for much longer. Cloud's elixirs were shot, Leon's gunblade had a big scratch down the side, and there wasn't a smidgeon of magic between the two of them.

They travelled into the school bloody, bruised and aching. They were both immensely happy though—fighting really was fun for the two of them. They showered quickly and slid into the Great Hall just in time.

For the whole of dinner, Leon and Cloud shot each other tiny glances. All of this _unresolved sexual tension_ was building and building—it was finally too much. You could _read_ the need and want written on their faces. Several students and Professors watched them closely—something big was going to happen.

At the same time, about twenty minutes into dinner, they snapped. Cloud and Leon lunged for each other simultaneously, crashing into the table and landing on the floor with a tremendous bang. Everyone tried to look—this was something they weren't likely to see again.

Leon attacked Cloud's mouth with animal-like voracity. He didn't give a shit that he was in the Great Hall and watched by tons of people—no, he only cared about the man who he was currently trying to pin. They rolled around on the floor, groping and grabbing and clenching…

Cloud managed to stand up, egged on by the screaming and cheering from the Gryffindor table. He used the leverage to move forward down the middle of the Great Hall, making Leon backpedal rapidly. Yes!

Leon shifted, throwing Cloud to the floor quickly. They somersaulted several times, crashing into the far wall of the room. The screaming was almost deafening—he couldn't think, dammit! He used his secret weapon, which basically consisted of dry-humping Cloud where he lay.

Several people gasped—Cloud froze for a second, shocked. Leon leapt up and forward, dragging Cloud behind him. He waved to the inside of the Great Hall quickly, just as Cloud began biting at his lips again. The voices went up another notch.

Amid mass confusion and cheering, Leon and Cloud left the Great Hall and traveled to their room. It wasn't hard to guess what they were going to do there.

…_Finally. _

* * *

**Go on, review! Make me happy, please!**

**Next time: Some friends visit, and everyone meets a brother.**


	14. Chapter 14

**.........Is there anything I can say so you_ won't_ kill me? I don't think so. x.x Sorry everyone for the long wait....sorrysorrysorry! I'd like to thank MentalChipmunk for bothering me every day at school and for sending everyone emails telling them to tell _me _to update! Seriously, thanks for that. If you sent me an email or PM telling me to get my ass in gear, thank you! Otherwise I don't think I'd have this up today...you guys are pretty good at guilt tripping a person. :3 I deserved it though. -.- And thanks for all the continued support; I was surprised how many people still like this fic! I reread it a couple of months ago and was completely embarassed. Ah well, I'ma tough it out, rrriiighht?? Also, this chapter seems kinda snapshot-y. I combined this chapter with the next one and cut it in half, (???) so expect the same characters next chapter. And I've posted a bunch of oneshots and stuff since I last updated...check 'em out...if you want. :D**

**Don't worry--there's no Drarry or Snarry... _buuuttt_ there _is _some Sephiroth/Cloud in this chap. I gotta get my kicks in somehow. ^.^**

**More cursing than usual ahead: There's three pottymouths. xD**

**And may I say: COM's SWEEEEET!! It's sooo much better for PS2 than Gameboy! Oooh, it's fun. :3**

**And if you're confused, that's a good thing! It's not supposed to make sense at the moment... if it gets confusing keeping track of who's from what world, just let it go...relax. Reeelaaaxxx... ^.^ And if you don't know who anyone is...look 'em up. :O**

* * *

It was Cloud who stirred first.

He opened his eyes slowly, blearily, and he blinked a few times in the semi-darkness. A familiar tanned arm was lazily draped around his waist, the fingers twitching occasionally in the way asleep people's tend to do.

Cloud allowed himself a small, secret smile and cautiously rolled over, careful not to wake the other up. Leon's face was slack with sleep; it was a pleasant change from the stress that always seemed to be plaguing him. He was breathing deeply, chest moving up and down steadily. A small trickle of drool was coming out of his mouth and onto the pillow.

His lips curved up gently, and he wiped it away with a knuckle. He propped himself up on his elbow to gaze down at his sleeping lover. He felt his heart expanding, full of love for the older man. Some line from a long-forgotten movie in his childhood floated through his mind: _And his heart grew three sizes that day!_ Cloud smiled wistfully.

He must've started to doze despite himself, because when he next became aware of himself, Leon was awake. The brunet gazed down at him through stormy, lidded eyes. One of his hands had been steadily moving through his hair, and it went down to cup his cheek when their gazes met.

Leon tilted his head and gave him a small smile: _Morning._

Cloud answered with one of his own and courageously slung a sleep-heavy leg over the other man's waist, shaking off the sheets. There was a small, pulsing pain in his lower waist, but he ignored it. Their smiling lips melded together, neither caring that both of them hadn't brushed. Leon's right hand skittered across Cloud's hip and up his side before crawling into his hair again.

After a few lazy minutes the grip turned possessive. Leon kissed harder, to the point of bruising. Cloud made a confused noise that turned into a muffled groan that was completely swallowed by the brunet's lips.

…Something felt off. Leon's hair wasn't _that_ long; he shouldn't have been able to feel it by the man's waist—

Cloud recoiled, pushing down on a strong chest. Glowing green eyes glinted up at him. Hands drifted to Cloud's hip bones, fingers greedily sliding down his chest. They burned, those pale digits standing out against Cloud's skin.

Sephiroth gave him a smoldering gaze and said lowly, "Hello, Cloud."

As Cloud's mouth moved, forming words with no sound, his darkness smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

"It's good to see you're staying active," Sephiroth purred, brushing his thumbs across Cloud's hip. His voice, had it been anyone else would have been _teasing_.

Just barely finding his voice, Cloud whispered, "…Sephiroth..."

Sephiroth reached up, dragging a thumb across his cheek slowly. "Poor, poor Cloud. _So_ _confused_. I don't envy a man whose memories are _that_ scrambled." Sephiroth gave him a smile that spoke of things he knew that Cloud didn't. His eyes glowed even more when he said, "Don't get complacent. You're _mine_, Cloud. Don't forget it."

Cloud's mouth closed, and he mustered up a weak glare, mouth turning down. Sephiroth let go of him, arms falling down onto the sheets comfortably. "Happiness without me? Don't count on it."

Then, he was gone. Cloud rubbed his eyes with his knuckles viciously. When he opened his eyes again Leon was back, a small, worried frown on his face.

"You spaced out," he said, looking at him closely.

"…Oh. Sorry…" Cloud looked away as full-blown _fury_ directed towards himself began coursing through his veins. He should've _done _something; he should've attacked, not just sat there—

Leon looked at him a bit strangely, and then propped himself up on his hands. "…Gotta get ready," he said lowly with a glance to the door. "Want to get off me?" Cloud stared at his boyfriend's scar for a long moment, then relaxed. He was safe. He gave a small, shy nod and got up.

After a temping shower that could've made them late, the two men managed to get out of their little apartment. Sir Cadogan was lounging in the grass of his painting for once, not busy doing something weird.

Breakfast was a pleasant affair. Things were calm in the castle. No one had the audacity to ask about anything that may have happened the previous night, and the swordsmen were grateful for that. Regardless of any amazing self-transformations that may have occurred during their stay at Hogwarts, neither Cloud nor Leon was up to talking about their sex life. Frankly, it wasn't anyone's business.

Any fright that had lingered after Sephiroth's 'appearance' completely disappeared. Only a memory…right?

- - - - - - - - - - -

Harry Potter was nervous.

His nervousness wasn't quite enough to be called _panicking_, per say. He sure wasn't calm though. Recently, his life had been…crap. He'd had a few talks with Sirius and gotten to enjoy some new friendships. Regular detentions with Umbridge—that awful woman just always seemed to be _there_ (how could she even give detention anyway?)—sucked. He was also still the subject of whispers and stares; he doubted that they would stop anytime soon, what with the Prophet being the way it was.

Sora and Riku seemingly didn't have to go to any more detentions with Umbridge, because of Riku's bad reaction and Sora's protection by some world-boundary thing. Angelinia had gone _nuts_ and wasn't speaking to him. At least the D.A. had been going okay…

Anyway. Just the previous night he had been sitting in the common room, slaving away over homework.

"Hey," Ron puffed, somehow exhausted from sitting for so long. Harry grunted.

"Which way do you wave your wand if you're transfiguring a pineapple to a pillow?"

"I don't know. Ask Hermione," Harry replied without thinking.

"Hermione," Ron said automatically.

"Do it yourself, Ron. Left."

"Thank you, Hermione," Ron said absently, scribbling away. That's how it usually went.

Harry had looked up for a second to second to stretch then. The common room was almost empty—Riku and Sora were sitting together at the window, looking at the stars with goofy smiles on their faces. A few third years were playing chess in the corner. A seventh year was doing homework in a chair, their back to him.

About a minute after returning to his homework, Harry looked up jerkily. He had a feeling someone was watching him.

The seventh year in the corner had turned their chair around. Harry's breath caught as his eyes met with another set of green.

He had _no_ idea why Sephiroth would be in the Gryffindor common room.

Wasn't he Cloud's darkness—er?—Ex-General—uh—evil stalker guy? Shouldn't he be bothering Professor Strife?

A long finger clad in a leather glove raised to smiling lips. It was vertical, the universal 'ssh' gesture. Harry gulped as his eyes flickered to the three wings, the lazily crossed legs and the huge sword leaning against the chair.

"Harry?"

Ron and Hermione were staring. Harry jolted to the side. The chair was turned around again, and the seventh year was scribbling away at their parchment.

Thus was the reason for Harry's nervousness. He was convinced he'd see Sephiroth strolling out of a bathroom or eating breakfast at one of the House tables…

His nerves were shot. He was obviously hallucinating or something—but, he had the right to feel appropriately panicked. Sephiroth _was_ pretty scary.

Still, he'd have Sephiroth over Voldemort any day.

- -

Snape was being especially horrid today. Harry didn't quite know what had gotten him so angry. Ron had asked Harry when the last time the man got laid was, and Snape must've overheard and pretended he didn't. Harry guessed he didn't want to accidentally give the answer away (uhh…never!) by giving anyone detention. But then again, he might not've heard was just being nasty. Git.

Hermione and Sora had gotten over any disagreements that had stemmed from being the two best kids in potions. They were sitting together, probably planning a potion to cure cancer or something in between stirs.

Riku didn't seem too happy about this. He and Sora were usually hanging off each other, and Sora wasn't paying attention to him for once. Biiiig deal, Riku.

But, Riku looked a minute away from bashing in Hermione's face. He had always known Riku was a possessive little bastard, in the kindest way possible.

Harry smiled fondly at his friends' antics and propped his head up on his hand. His gaze drifted naturally to Malfoy. He was never up to anything good, so he had to regularly check up on him.

Draco was staring at him. Harry started in his seat, wondering how long he had been. Malfoy's eyes were an eerie, vivid jade for the briefest of moments before returning to normal. He sneered and returned to his potion.

Then, from directly behind him: "Potter!"

Harry let out a girlish yelp and jumped a guilty mile in the air.

Snape seemed content, the laughter in the dungeon a sufficient punishment for slacking. The Potions master returned to his office with a billow of his robes, and Harry slunk down low in his seat.

"Nice," Sora giggled. Hermione lightly smacked his arm. Yuffie imitated him, and she doubled over laughing.

"It wasn't that funny," Harry mumbled, wincing.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next month at Hogwarts was relatively uneventful. It was still freezing outside, but Leon found he rather liked the cold. Valentine's day came and went, which was a pretty big deal with the students.

Sora and Riku went to the 'Tea Shop of Horrors' and were quick to gloat about how they hadn't been kicked out, much to the Professors' annoyance.

Harry had had a particularly bad time—Cho Chang, one of their better-liked Ravenclaw students, had apparently caused a scene. They had overheard a few Hufflepuffs talking about how she had stormed out of the tea shop in tears, leaving Harry sitting there, appalled. Poor kid.

Kairi and Seamus had apparently hit it off—Kairi blushed whenever anyone mentioned the shiny new bracelet on his wrist, and Seamus had a permanently dazed, happy look. Sora told them he and Riku had tried to give her 'the talk,' and she hadn't talked to them for a full day.

Umbridge continued her reign of terror, now having a ridiculous number of educational decrees. Harry had detention with her almost every night—neither Professor had any idea what Harry could've done to get that many.

Gradually Leon and Cloud introduced more techniques to their classes. It was difficult for some students, but no one really complained. Those in the D.A knew that the swordplay was important if Death Eaters were out and about; the rest just knew it was fun.

Cloud eventually (as did Harry) grew convinced that he had imagined Sephiroth there that morning. Still, a small, tiny worry lingered in the back of his mind, refusing to disappear entirely.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sora was trembling with excitement. Finally—_finally!_—they'd be getting some serious action. Leon and Cloud had been babying them for far too long, he thought. Even the other kids could take down a Soldier if they focused enough.

"Only a few of you know what a Heartless is," Leon was saying. "They don't exist where most of you live—blah blah blah!"

"Blah blah," Cloud agreed quietly, leaning against a tree.

"Blah?" a student asked. Sora looked at her strangely.

"Sora," Riku's voice said by his ear. Sora jumped and looked at him. Riku gave a short puff of amusement and said softly, "Pay attention."

Sora nodded, embarrassed. Riku's hand found his and gave a gentle squeeze, and Sora strained his ears.

"—can easily steal a heart," Leon was saying. "Pay attention or you're as good as dead."

"Will we see a Heartless today, Professor?" Dean asked, obviously excited.

"Next week," Leon said. "Today we'll just-"

A girl screamed. Heads turned quickly in confusion. Someone pointed into the forest.

A tanned arm was haphazardly shoving some branches to the side. Once victorious, a man with blond hair pushed his way onto the grass. He stood still, looked around, swiped his nose with a knuckle and said loudly as two more individuals emerged from the forest:

"'Sup, mother fuckers!?"

- - - - - - - - - -

_**Educational Decree Number Fifty-Six:**_

_**Under the authority of Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic and Dolores Umbridge, High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, All Visitors to the School Must Be Screened for Approval by the Ministry of Magic and Must be Overseen by The High Inquisitor. Any unauthorized persons will be punished and taken for questioning.**_

- - - - - - - - - -

A stormy eye twitched as the letter was read silently.

_Dear Cloud and Leon,_

_This is Aerith. We all hope you are all doing well. Garden's coming along marvelously Leon. You don't have to worry. And Cloud—we haven't heard from Sephiroth. He hasn't been spotted anywhere in this world. Merlin insists that it isn't important, but I just thought I'd tell you. Anyway, you're going to have visitors in a few days! Isn't that exciting? I'd say more, but Sally needs my help sewing a new costume for Jack. It's funny—he's really gotten into Easter. I've never seen such a tall bunny before! Say hello to everyone for me!_

_Much love,_

_Aerith._

"That's us," a gruff voice grunted, a finger reaching between the and jabbing Aerith's letter on the word 'visitors.'

Cloud discretely observed the newcomers. All five of them were gathered in an empty hallway that was partially open to a courtyard, letting the frigid air wash over them.

There was Cid. He looked the same as he did back in Radiant Garden, but he seemed to have switched his ever-present stick that hung out of his mouth like a weapon with a cigarette. It was the opposite of any positive progress…

Cloud had mysterious double-vision when he looked at Cid—with all three. He saw Cid as he knew him, then a haunting, faded image that left as quickly as it appeared of Cid barking at someone in slightly different clothing, a cup of tea in hand.

Vincent Valentine. Cloud had been shocked when the man had calmly strode out of the forbidden forest after Cid. He was dressed—to Cloud's supreme confusion—in his old clothes. Or had it been _Cloud _who wore _Vincent's_ attire? He supposed it didn't really matter either way. He remembered Vincent from before their world had fallen. Vincent had been a Turk. A mercenary, meeting Cid after their world was gone. His odd double-vision showed Vincent in a coffin in a dusty old room, red eyes snapping open. He could say he was pretty sure Vincent had never spent any amount of time in a coffin.

The third visitor was a certain Reno Sinclaire. Cloud wasn't particularly happy to see him—SOLDIERs and the Turks had never seen eye-to-eye, and he'd never had the same easy camaraderie he'd had with Vincent, but Reno's easy going attitude was welcome. Reno wore an open suit, a slob as usual. Cloud had a sudden vision of Reno piloting a helicopter, bitching to someone in a microphone.

He was certainly happy to see all three, but he had no idea _why_ they were here. Everyone had already been introduced, so Cloud said bluntly, "…Why are you here?"

He hadn't meant to sound disapproving, but it came out that way.

Reno, who had been leaning against a wall, pushed himself off it and said, "You don't want us around, yo?"

Cloud blinked. Cid snickered. "It's not that…"

"Vinnie-" Vincent gave a miniscule twitch of his hand that Cloud almost missed "-and this little shit here got to Garden 'bout a month or so ago. 'Course, I had been expecting Vinnie, but not _him_."

Reno faked hurt and turned to Cloud, giving a goofy shrug of his shoulders. "I met up with Vin when he was passing through Wonderland, yo."

"Why were you…?"

Reno grinned. "Every single person there's higher than a SOLDIER on Midgar Day, yo." —Cloud kept his face neutral, mouth not twitching down at the comment he didn't remember anything about— "And I, uh, was there to confiscate some of the…stashes. Hero tendencies comin' through, yo. Damn. Heh."

Leon cracked a small smile, trying not to seem pushed out of the conversation by not knowing almost half of the people, even if it was only two. No one seemed to notice his discomfort, thankfully.

"And we're here 'cause it's boring back home," Cid said, swiping his nose again. It was like a _tick_ what with how many times Cid did that. Leon realized Vincent had yet to speak. "And Jack? He's fucking _nuts_."

"Trippin', yo."

Leon decided it was high time he spoke. "How's Garden coming?"

Cid then happily began talking of all the weird things Jack had done—like covering Merlin's whole house in cobwebs one day so he could catch a bug that had been flying around and bothering him—and he very lightly skimmed over the positive things. The gunblader looked faintly worried, regretting leaving his world in the hands of a skeleton.

"I was helpin' him hide those Easter eggs, yo,' Reno said, yawning. "You'll never find 'em. It's gonna stink soon."

Reno eyed Leon, who was teetering on the edge of asking him where these eggs were so he could get rid of them himself or some other drastic measure.

"I'm not tellin', yo," he said, grinning.

The men traveled through the school on a sort of grand tour. Reno and Cid kept shouting expletives every time a painting moved or when a staircase shifted.

"Damn," Cid said, swiping his nose again. "The hell kinda school's this?"

"It's a magic school, for fuck's sake," Reno muttered. If Cid had heard him, he didn't react. He was the one who seemed to be leading them, blindly ambling through the school with almost childlike amazement.

Vincent was relaxed and calm, but Leon noticed how the man's eyes flickered around corners briefly before resting straight ahead. Hogwarts was new territory for them, Leon mused, not nearly as familiar as Garden. He envisioned Vincent stalking around the town, fighting his way through festive cobwebs and avoiding Cid and Jack.

He seriously needed to see his world soon or he'd go insane.

- - - - - - - - - - -

In the shade behind a tall tower safely out of the way of other students, Riku, Yuffie, Sora and Kairi sat in the grass, talking quietly so they wouldn't be overheard.

"Don't you think?" Kairi asked, looking at them closely, willing them to understand. Yuffie's face was doubtful, and the boys' were worse.

"Reno's his name, right?"

Riku confirmed it, and Kairi continued. "It's just…when I first saw him, I thought of Axel. Didn't you?"

There was a pause. "Kind of," Yuffie said, leaning back on her hands.

Kairi made an annoyed noise. "They both have red hair. They both have green eyes _and_ tattoos on their faces."

"They sound exactly the same," Sora said quietly. A hand went up and squeezed the robes over his heart gently.

"Roxas?" Riku asked. He held Sora's other hand and squeezed gently.

Sora gave a small smile. "Yeah," he said, nodding. "Now that you said it, they _are_ a lot alike, Kairi. D'you think Axel is Reno's nobody?"

"If Reno got turned into a Heartless, how's he here?" Yuffie bit her lip in thought. "I remember he used to be on Cloud and mine's world. Everyone's memories are a bit screwy," she laughed, "but I don't think Reno even _saw_ a heartless until they..."

"Same with us," Sora said, frowning.

"And Cid's from Leon's world," Yuffie continued. "Cid saved the others when they were younger."

"And Vincent is from your world?" Riku asked, absently ripping out the grass as he thought. Sora smacked his hand, and Riku tossed a handful of it into the brunet's hair.

"Yup. I guess he met Cid in some world sometime after the Heartless got both worlds."

"My head hurts," Sora said, flopping down onto the earth.

Kairi looked thoughtful, then shook her head. "_Anyway_," she said, "Even if we don't have a good reason yet, we have to try to find out something! They're too similar to just mark it off as a conincidence."

"Right," Yuffie said, getting to her feet. "What're we gonna do now? Do I have to go ninja on him!?"

"We'll wing it," Riku said, hoisting Sora up. Sora nodded seriously, and the four of them returned to the rest of the students loudly making their way to their next class.

- - - - - - - - - -

That night the men strolled around the school, catching up on various things. When a loud scream echoed through the hallway, Reno whipped out a previously hidden gun and almost fired it. Leon and Cloud didn't have their swords and hurried to the source of the noise, alarmed.

The scene they saw was not the one they had been expecting. In the center of a huge ring of babbling students, Professor Trelawney stood in the entrance hall. At the bottom of a flight of stairs stood none other than Umbridge, grinning maniacally. Trelawney was freaking out, and Umbridge was obviously happy to see her so upset.

Reno whispered something to himself as he stared at Umbridge. but was still heard over Trelawney's screams that should she should stay in Hogwarts: "…Ew, yo."

"She that Umbridge woman?" Cid asked. Vincent watched her with narrowed eyes.

It was a great relief when Dumbledore showed up. They watched with amusement as Dumbledore calmly and pleasantly completely overrode Umbridge's claims that she could send Trelawney away. In the end Professor McGonagall escorted the hysterical woman back upstairs, and Umbridge stood still, gaping like a fish.

When Dumbledore stepped aside and a man trotted in, man-like to the waist and like a horse from there on down, everyone went silent.

"This is Firenze," Dumbledore announced into the quiet, "I think you'll find him suitable."

After a few more beats of unmoving silence Cid swiped his nose and said loudly, making everyone jump, "Well, shit! A fucking centaur!"

Reno stomped on his foot, not even trying to be discrete.

- - - - - - - - - -

Leon yawned as he ascended his ladder, and upon entering their room, he promptly changed his clothes, planning on hitting the sack immediately.

He stumbled into the shower and was out in no time flat. When he walked out, he was surprised to see Reno's head sticking up out of the floor; the man was standing on the ladder that led up from behind the painting.

Cloud looked confused, and he glanced at Leon questioningly as Reno climbed all the way up and in and stretched, loudly belching as he did so.

"Hey—I gotta crash with you two. You better not mind, yo. I swear, thos—"

Reno eyed the huge, single bed that Cloud was sitting on and Leon, who was still damp from the shower.

"Oh, I get it," he said, putting his hands in his pockets lazily and rocking back on his heels. "You two're like _that_." He pulled his hands back out and held out his two pointer fingers horizontally, tapping the tips of them together with a grin.

Cloud's eyebrows rose and he rolled his eyes. Leon coughed awkwardly, looking away.

"It's alright, yo." Reno stooped and pulled up a huge suitcase, tossing it on the bed behind Cloud. "Mind if I get in the shower? Thanks."

Reno sauntered past Leon and shut the bathroom door, smirking at them. Cloud gave Leon a look, flicking his bangs away with his hand. Leon shrugged.

A short time later, Leon stared at the ceiling blankly as Reno kicked him in the gut again. He didn't really feel it. The redhead was comfortably lying between he and Cloud in a ridiculous knot of sheets. He was barely covered, and Leon shivered, scowling.

On the other side of the bed, Cloud gazed at the wall, wincing every time there was a particularly loud creak or a thump from the other apartment in the tower. Reno gave a grunt and rolled over, and arm striking him on the cheek.

Cloud haphazardly took Reno's arm by the wrist and pushed it in the opposite direction. It fell across Reno's chest and the redhead immediately began scratching his stomach and twitching. Cloud yanked some of the blankets back at the same time Leon did, and Reno smacked both men before gathering the sheets again, still asleep.

This was going to suck.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Very quickly, Cid, Vincent and Reno became very popular in Hogwarts. The Muggle-born students knew what a gun was, and Vincent was always seen toting one around underneath his tattered cape. Very cool. Reno was popular with the older female students in particular, as he was constantly flirting with all of them. He denied it, of course, when Cloud cornered him about it, but it was generally known that Reno was good for a wink and a flirtatious smile. Everyone seemed to like Cid, and the younger students giggled incessantly whenever Cid swore.

As Leon and Cloud prepared their classes for battling actual Heartless, the three men watched with amusement. Vincent was surprisingly gentle when he switched someone's stance, and half the female population quickly had a crush on the dark-haired man, in addition to their crushes on their Defense Professors.

Life went on enjoyably for a few days, but then Vincent started feeling uneasy. He told the others how he sensed something in the forest that didn't belong. Reno was reluctant to go figure out what it was, but eventually he gave in. They couldn't allow something that could've been as destructive as a Heartless to roam free in the woods; that would have been against Reno's 'hero tendencies.' So they went.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Tell me again why we're here," Reno asked, batting away a cobweb only he could feel.

"Vinnie sensed something," Cid answered.

"Like what?" Reno grunted, tripping over a root.

"I am not sure," Vincent admitted. Cloud gripped Tsurugi's handle tightly, feeling off.

The forbidden forest was scary during the day, and it was even worse at night. Reno, being a slum boy, wasn't used to so much _nature_ and kept stumbling.

No one knew what they were looking for, but they pressed on regardless. It had been very, very late when the five of them snuck out of the castle, so it was almost pitch-black.

With a few more accidents (namely Reno walking straight into a tree and then smacking his head on a low branch) they emerged into a small clearing where the trees were suspiciously ripped up. Reno rushed towards a huge mound of dirt happily and sat down, expertly jumping high and hoisting himself up.

"Man," he whined, cracking his neck. "I hate forests, you know that? Nature sucks, yo."

The other men ignored him. "Hey," Reno said suddenly. "Does the ground usually move around here?"

They looked; Reno was definitely drifting up and down slowly. The earth jerked suddenly, and Reno gripped the dirt in a panic.

"…I think you should move," Vincent said quietly.

"Huh? Why—What's—"

Reno was flung through the air, and he hit a tree with a huge thud. He slumped to the ground, cursing. The huge pile of dirt _stood_ with astounding speed, towering over them.

Five mouths fell open.

"…Is this it, Vinnie?" Cid asked, voice abnormally quiet.

Vincent said calmly, "I believe so."

Trees creaked ominously as the thing—whatever it was—moved. The pathetic moonlight was just enough that they could make out rough features on a huge, oddly shaped head and individual limbs.

They were staring at a _giant_.

The thing let out a horrible noise and ripped a tree right out of the ground. Tiny eyes blinked at them as Reno stumbled back up. Cloud chucked a potion at him jerkily, eyes not leaving the thing. His eyes flashed to his sword, at the thing, at his sword, at the thing-

"…Hagger?" it said, voice a throaty, scratchy rumble. Cid flinched.

"Um…what do we do?" Reno asked. "What is it, yo? What does it want?"

"Hagger!?"

"What does that mean!?" Reno was panicking, backing away from them.

There was a deafening crash as a recently felled tree was hurled towards them with a roar. Cid swore loudly, moving away in time to avoid it.

There was a pause. Then, with something resembling a smile the giant stood and looked at them. Its mouth opened, ready to share its newfound knowledge.

"FUCK!" It yelled.

There was silence until Vincent clapped a hand over his forehead, Leon sighed, Cloud snorted and Reno moaned, "why'd you teach it to curse, yo?"

"Fuck!" The thing said again. Cid snickered. "Where Hagger!? Fuck! Grawp—Grawp—Fuck!!"

Cid was in stitches, and the rest were frozen in fear. With each word the thing grew angrier and angrier, ripping at the bonds that held him.

With a final roar of "FUCK HAGGER!" The giant wrenched itself free, frenzied.

The men took off.

Leon and Cloud blindly plunged into the woods, hearing a huge crash behind them. At one point Leon stumbled, but he was quickly back up. They ran in any particular direction, praying it was the way out. The forest's noises seemed amplified, and everything grew louder and louder until they burst out of the forest and tumbled onto the grass in a heap.

The first thing Leon said after he got his breath was, "…That…was a strategic retreat."

Cloud sat up and looked around, not seeing the other three men.

"Where did they go?" Cloud asked. Leon blinked, noticing that it was just the two of them for the first time.

"I thought they were behind us," he said, getting up and helping Cloud to his feet. They peered into the forest but saw nothing.

"Should we… look for them?"

The suggestion was not appealing. What if there were _more_ of those things? They sat back down in the dewy grass, resolving not to move until their friends were located.

A quarter hour later both men were shivering, huddled together. Leon had Cloud's hands clasped in his own, rubbing gently to keep them warm. He didn't seem aware that he was doing it at all; his head kept turning, staring in between the trees like he was on autopilot.

Cloud's legs were over Leon's bent. They tried to keep warm, worry worming itself into their hearts.

"They're strong," Cloud said after another few minutes, mostly to reassure himself. Leon wholeheartedly agreed with him, maybe a bit too quickly.

Another short time passed, and they were practically dead. Both men blankly stared straight ahead, nerves shot.

There was the snap of a broken branch from somewhere close by. Cloud jolted, kneeing Leon in the chest, but neither noticed. They sprang up and drew their swords, breath held.

Reno stumbled out of the forest, Cid hot on his heels. Vincent strode out after them, a gun held in the air menacingly. Reno's suit was covered in blood—he didn't seem to care.

"Thank Shiva," Reno groaned when he saw them.

"What happened?" Leon asked as Cloud made Reno drink a high potion.

Cid exhaled in disbelief. "Fucking centaurs! After we all split up Me, Vinnie 'n Reno were tryin' to get out but we got held up by 'em."

"The blood?" Cloud inquired, letting Reno lean against him.

"They was just tryin' to scare us, an' one of 'em musta shot into a tree 'cause a _huge_ fucking branch falls on Red's head. He goes down, Vinnie thought it was one of _them_, an' Vinnie shot through one of the things' bows. Then they got _super_ pissy and started freakin' out. They were talkin' about, like, how humans aren' allowed in the forests n' shit, an' I said that I'd like ta see 'em try to make us and then they all came at us and then-"

Cid kept babbling, royally pissed off and a bit afraid. They let him recount the whole adventure, even though his accent grew steadily thicker and thicker.

Eventually Reno mumbled, "Shut him up, yo."

Vincent only had to lay a hand on his arm, and Cid clammed up.

"What d'you think 'Hagger' meant?" Reno asked.

"Hiya, Professors!"

Hagrid was walking nearby with his dog. Fang, Leon vaguely recalled. "Lovely night, eh?" He waved and disappeared into the forests, various cuts and bruises apparent even from here.

Silence.

"Hagrid _is_ pretty big," Cloud mused quietly.

"Oh—Oh, damn," Cid said, cradling his head. "Fuck this. I'm goin' to bed. C'mon Vin."

Cid grabbed Vincent's hand and led him away, mumbling about headaches.

Reno sighed. "I'm wounded, yo," he said, leering at Cloud. "You'll have to carry me." He put an arm around the blond's neck and leaned in, smushing their cheeks together.

After Leon was done carrying the annoying man to the school, he dumped Reno on the floor of their apartment, scowled at Cloud and then crawled into bed after the blond. Reno _tried_ to squeeze between them again, but Leon held Cloud to his chest tightly, no room between them.

Sulking, Reno laid down on the other side of Leon, but he couldn't resist spooning the brunet slightly and snickering wickedly into his ear.

They ignored the Turk and went to sleep, dreams blessedly free of giants and perverted, obnoxious redheads.

* * *

**I had to end the chapter so it wouldn't go on forever. **

**Next time: Reno gets stalked, Hagrid freaks out, Sephiroth's back in and Heartless butt gets kicked.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Woooaaahhh, yeah! Over 100,000 words! I can't believe this fic is this big...I didn't think it was going to be _this_ long when I started it... Thanks everyone for all the reviews, faves and alerts I've gotten so far! It means a lot. :D And I'm a bit late...but at least it hasn't been a month! By like a day... XD Anyway, enjoy. I loved writing Sephiroth... I don't know why. He's like...an aristocrat. I guess. ^.^ And the end's kind of choppy. Oh well.**

**Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. I expect the next one will be even worse.**

* * *

Never let it be said that Turks weren't smart.

If you were being followed by a herd of elephants that were as loud as Reno's were and you somehow _weren't_ aware of them, you had to be a vegetable, at the very least.

Reno was _quite_ aware that he was being followed. He just didn't show it.

He was somewhere near the Charms corridor, passing time aimlessly. There was absolutely _nothing_ to do at this place whatsoever. He had thought that Hogwarts, being a magical school and all, would be sweet and full of fun things. It was not the case so far. But still, third wheels had to keep themselves entertained, so Reno left the other out-of-world-men and decided to find something to do.

Five minutes after that, he had been joined by those three keyblade kids and the ninja girl. 'Joined' wasn't the best word to use though—they always stayed at least forty feet behind him and hid behind random things every time he so much as turned his head a fraction of the way around. Even so, they were painfully obvious, as he could see them in his peripheral half the time.

Did they seriously think he couldn't see them? Puh-_lease_. A newbie Turk fresh out of training would've found their attempts at concealing themselves laughably pathetic.

The Kisaragi girl was supposed to be good at this, though, a little voice in his head nagged. Reno got a glance at the girl's fingers the next time he was able to turn around without being suspicious—they were shaking.

_A sugar high_, he thought with a smirk, rolling his eyes. That girl reminded him of a little Turk once who was always bouncing off the walls. Cute kid. He hadn't made it through his first mission.

_Makes for bad ninjas_, he mused, chuckling when there was a thump from roughly forty feet away followed by a low 'ssh!'

Amateurs.

Back to the matter at hand—Reno was still bored, and entertaining the brats wasn't cutting it. Pleased to find he hadn't gotten lost, Reno poked his head into the Charms classroom and said smoothly, interrupting a lecture and causing every head to snap up, "Hey, Flitwick. What's up, yo?"

Professor Flitwick blinked, and Reno distinctly heard a feminine breathy sigh from the back of the classroom. Reno winked at the girl, making her blush and immediately gather her friends 'round to talk in hushed whispers.

With one more charming smile at Flitwick, he was in. Score! No one could resist the old Sinclair charm—_no one_. 'Cept maybe Leonhart or Valentine… whatever.

Reno disappeared into the classroom, pointedly shutting the previously open door behind him and ruining the otherwise perfect view of the inside of the classroom visible from directly behind a suit of armor down an adjacent hallway.

A youthful voice swore bitterly, followed by the harsh clang of knuckles smashing into metal.

- - - - - - - - -

With a curse and a grunt, Leon heaved himself out of a thorny, scratchy bush, barely feeling the extremely numerous little cuts on his body. Cloud's voice, quieter than normal but still extremely reassuring, cut through the air that was unnaturally quiet, due to the lack of a certain chattery readhead and his friends.

"I got one."

Leon swiped at his sweaty brow with his hand, fingers catching on and removing a thorn stuck in his skin near his temple with the smallest of winces. He wiped at the tiny beads of blood irritably, embarrassed to have fallen in the stupid thing at all. Really, this job was tough. He had the energy to look at Cloud, impressed, and he did so.

Cloud smiled at him, making Leon's eyes cross then narrow as he batted his eyelashes. Unintentionally, no doubt. Leon scowled, eyes daring the blond to make a comment about the damn bush.

There was another smile, but that was all. Leon scowled even more nonetheless, and Cloud stepped forward to press an infuriatingly sweet little kiss to his lips. Leon's face relaxed immediately, and Cloud snickered softly.

"It's this way," he said. Leon followed the other man through the woods for about a minute until Cloud crouched and dug around in a huge mess of foliage. He pulled out a plain black box that went up to about his mid-thigh. Leon smiled and reached out, fingers tingling as they ghosted over the surface. The box was actually enchanted, not letting anything inside out unless opened from the outside.

Cloud drew his sword and held it in his hand loosely, but he was obviously ready to strike given an eighth of a chance.

The lid was gently removed, and Leon, whose head was directly over the top, jerked back as something came flying out, slicing the air where his head had just been.

With a small amount of cursing, the Heartless was dragged out. The thing was clearly upset, thrashing around like it was possessed. The air was filled with odd squeaks and the clanking of metal armor.

Leon observed the Soldier, eyes squinting almost shut. He looked to Cloud and said as he shoved the thing back inside, "Do you think they're ready for Soldiers?" He recalled their jumpy, sudden movements in his mind's eye. "They could take them by surprise."

Cloud thought, tsk-ing and biting his lip. Leon, who was watching Cloud's luminous eyes glow in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, almost didn't hear it when Cloud hoisted the box up and said, "Yeah…well, at least they don't sink into the floor."

He had a point.

Leon shrugged, took the box from Cloud and strode back to their 'home base' of sorts. Seven similar boxes were gathered together, all occasionally giving a shudder or jumping into the air.

Cloud sucked on his finger that sported an impressive cut from Soldier Number Three, gazing at the things. They only had about half as many as they needed.

It was going to be a long night.

- - - - - - - - -

The quiet noises made by powerful footsteps were completely swallowed up by the hectic shouts clangs and bangs of Radiant Garden. The world was a flurry of activity. It seemed Jack wasn't _completely_ incompetent.

…Or maybe he _was_, Sephiroth mused as he stared at a red and green cobweb several feet across laden with Easter eggs. He could easily see a red sleigh sitting 'artistically' in the corner of the Great Maw. Someone had added little zig-zags, squiggles and polka dots all over it in light-colored paints.

Sephiroth turned up a nicely-shaped nose at the display and continued on his little stroll, sticking his right hand into his pocket.

Voldemort's 'headquarters' were a dismal affair. Dark, no light, awful. Being surrounded by surveillance cameras and bumbling _buffoons _had him often on the edge of developing a migraine. Also, that kind of atmosphere did absolutely _nothing_ for him. His libido would be practically in the negatives, had there been a numeric scale of some sort somewhere and he measured himself with it.

Voldemort efficiently destroyed any urges to do _anything_, even after all the spying things had been removed.

Thankfully, Radiant Garden's air was clean. He was naturally pale and didn't tan, but he still hoped that the sun might give him the _slightest_ tint so he'd stop looking like a half-alive ghost like he did now after spending so much time with the Dark Lord and his cronies.

Aside from that, the real reason he had returned to this world was to… _reassure_ Cloud. He would make an appearance in this world, word would get back to his other half, and Cloud would relax. He was _not_ doing this out of any kindness in his heart, Sephiroth vehemently reminded himself, no; it was because Cloud would let his guard down. Soon… the perfect time to strike would arise.

And he would be ready when that time came.

Sephiroth swung into the Borough, finding extreme amusement in how he was not twenty feet from the old wizard's house. Usually, Cloud would already be outside, screaming and spitting like a wildcat.

But everything was calm, and Sephiroth's long-legged stroll turned into a strut as he stalked by the house a few times, hips swaying with the freedom to do so without being attacked by a spiky-haired swordsman. He shot the building an amused glance, clearly seeing a pair of eyes and a skull with _no_ eyes peeking out at him from behind a curtain.

Mission accomplished, Sephiroth turned and left, deciding to cause a scene in the Marketplace. It was busy enough, and Sephiroth was dismayed to see more of those ridiculous holiday decorations. The next time Jack saw fit to combine Halloween, Easter and Christmas, he was going to personally bury that skeleton's bones so deep no one would ever find them.

A little man stopped right in front of him, eyes wide and frozen. Sephiroth gazed disinterestedly down at him. There were a few more seconds of terrified silence, and Sephiroth's patience wore out.

He smiled, making a point to show as many teeth as possible. "Hello," he said, voice smooth. The man's eyes went even wider, and he scurried away, clutching a shopping bag.

Fifteen minutes later and _thoroughly_ amused, Sephiroth strutted back into the Borough. Tifa looked like she was about to leave the house, but after getting one look at him, she stepped back inside and slammed the door shut.

Once back in the Dark Depths and in his rightful place on the edge of the cliff, Sephiroth thought. He had been doing that a lot lately.

Cloud was…_affecting _him. That made some sense, as he was part of him, but still. He had developed sort-of-itty-bitty _feelings_ for _Leonhart_, which annoyed and repulsed him to no end. If it were possible, he would gladly have no further interaction with the man. But Cloud was obviously enamored, and Cloud's feelings were echoed in himself. Damn.

And lately, Cloud had been pining for some long-lost friend or something. Zack, his name must've been. Did he know a Zack? No…

But Cloud seemed to think they _both_ knew such a man. Sephiroth didn't know _everything_, but he had a very good idea of how and what Cloud thought. And Cloud thought he, Sephiroth, should be upset or something by the death of a man he had never met.

Really, Strife was just too easy sometimes.

Sephiroth stretched his wing and reached up with both hands, clasping them and getting rid of a stubborn kink in his back as he did so.

Mouth turning down, Sephiroth allowed himself a few moments of worry. His Cloud was…

Well, his mental condition couldn't have been peachy, not with all these odd notions in his pretty little head.

There was an odd noise to his left, but it was a familiar one. Sephiroth sighed as an owl hovered close by, a letter on its leg. Smart animal. If it had tried to land on Masamune or—Gaia forbid—his wing or shoulder, it would have been nothing but a pile of feathers and ripped flesh in a matter of seconds.

He read the letter, written with an obviously hurried hand. He smiled, sort of, and replied with a wave of his hand, not bothering to locate a quill or pen of some sort.

The owl flew away, once more sucked into a portal of darkness. Sephiroth smiled to himself, turning to look at the castle in the distance.

The powers of the Dark Lord and the powers of Darkness…

…Were very good things to have indeed.

- - - - - - - - -

When Kairi opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yuffie. Yuffie, kneeling over the side of the bed, her expectant face only inches away. After avoiding a few frightened slaps, Yuffie bounced away from her friend's bed and knocked over someone's jewelry box in her excitement.

Yuffie skittered away, mostly to get away from the poor girl whose things were now scattered around on the floor—she was half-tempted to answer the call of '_treasure, treasure, treasure!'_ and swipe some. Not good—not good in Hogwarts.

Today would be a good day though. She could feel it in her bones! They would be getting some action today, finally! Better yet…those Slytherins would get what was coming to them!

Yuffie knew that she would only be staying for a year before it was back to Radiant Garden, and she knew it was never a good idea to get _too_ involved with other worlds (that rule didn't apply to Sora, apparently), but she couldn't help but get caught up in the childish excitement of the Houses. Being a Gryffindor gave her some pride, and she was going to milk Hogwarts for all its worth.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that the steps that led down to the common room had been replaced with a slide. How or why, she had no idea, but it looked cool.

A short trip down the thing later, Yuffie stood beside Riku, watching Sora flail madly on the ground. Apparently he had come up the girls' staircase, but it had transformed, and he was now upside-down on his head, rear wiggling in the air.

Yuffie giggled with delight as Sora managed to roll over. "Why did it do that?" he spluttered over Riku's terribly-concealed laughter. Yuffie shrugged, watching a few giggling first-years slide down and give Sora mock-disapproving glances.

On cue, Hermione appeared, smoothing out her robes.

"Boys are considered less trustworthy than girls," she informed them, only needing a ruler to resemble the perfect teacher, "So boys can't get into the girls' dorms."

Sora's eyes went wide. "Do they think I'm going to _rape_ them?" he asked, loudly enough that everyone's head turned to look at them.

Riku's little chuckles stopped, and his mouth shut with a click of his teeth. The older boy looked around suspiciously, staring down everyone.

"…No…" Hermione said slowly. She tilted her head. "Well, maybe…"

Sora gasped. "No!"

"Can girls get to the boys' dorms?" Yuffie asked.

"I think so," Hermione answered.

Sora pressed, "But why? If a girl and a guy wanted to do it, the girl could just go to the other dorms…"

"They're not stopping anyone," Yuffie added. Sora made a good point.

Hermione actually looked disturbed. "…I don't _know_," she mumbled, the words said as if they tasted bad. "…I'll look into it."

Off Hermione went in a daze.

Yuffie frowned and stood still for a moment longer, but then pranced over to Harry and Ron, who were both still looking sleepy and rumpled. Harry in particular—he had circles under his eyes, and the whites of them were bloodshot.

"You alright?" she asked, concerned. Harry had a delayed reaction—he stared at her for a few moments before blinking and giving a little jump. Ron observed him closely.

"…Fine," he said, clearly distracted. He managed to offer a little smile.

Yuffie didn't totally believe him, but pushed it to the back of her mind. No time for worries _today_!

"Well, good! Look sharp!" She bounced on her heels, far too excited to do much else.

"Sure thing," Harry sighed, smiling slightly.

Yuffie skipped to the portrait hole, crawled out and hurried to breakfast, ready to completely kick _ass_.

- - - - - - - - - -

It was obviously a big deal.

For once, neither Cloud nor Leon had wanted to deal with the constant squabbling between Gryffindor and Slytherin. So, they fixed the problem.

The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs stared at each other blankly from either side of the classroom.

Cloud, who was beat and exhausted after his long night and in no mood to beat around the bush grunted, "…Is there a problem, or do you want me to switch your classes back to normal sooner than expected?"

Everyone smiled at each other, grins brighter than the sun. Cloud scowled at the floor and rotated his arm and neck respectively, trying to loosen up a tense muscle.

Leon took over, "Go out the north entrance. We'll be right there."

The students filed out, talking excitedly. Sora and Yuffie were practically bouncing up and down.

As Reno and Cid helped carry the set of swords through the hallways, Reno asked an irritable Cloud, "Where were you two last night? The bed was cold, yo."

"Catching Heartless," the blond replied, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"For the kids to practice on?"

Cloud didn't reply, so Leon answered Reno with the obvious affirmative. Reno 'hmm-ed' in understanding.

The kids were once again in the shimmering, protective enclosure; all of them were talking excitedly. Some had discarded their robes and ere bouncing about in comfortable clothes.

"Hey," Reno prodded as they crossed through a hallway, "I've been meanin' to ask you. What's with the wing, yo?"

The wing in question gave a little flap and stretched out towards Reno, causing the other man to lean back quickly.

"How'd ya get it?" Cid asked, staring at it.

"Death Eaters," Cloud said, eyes looking straight ahead.

There was a moment of silence, but then Cid spoke, "…So what's this world up against?"

Leon glanced at Cid, then Cloud. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the ceiling for inspiration, "…Their world's under threat by a powerful wizard named Voldemort. He's got followers—Death Eaters. It's going to be a tough fight when the time comes."

"And they got close enough to do somethin' freaky?" Reno was still staring at the wing. The look Cloud gave him was answer enough.

They emerged outside and headed towards the group of students, who stopped talking and stood in anxious wait.

The swords were dropped unceremoniously onto the grass with a plop, and the Professors strode in front of the group while the other three stayed in the back. Reno tried to follow, but Cid yanked on the back of his shirt's collar and kept him there.

As Leon turned around and surveyed the group of kids, he suddenly felt an overpowering urge to spread his arms wide and preach about how far they had all come. From little fifth-year brats who could barely duel with a wand to little fifth-year brats who were about to take down Heartless! It warmed his heart—it really did.

But old habits (like constant angsty, brooding silence) died hard, and he instead went with, "If you do not pay attention, you will die today."

The whole class (save for four certain students) paled considerably. Half of their mouths fell open. One girl almost fell over. Someone gasped.

"Nice," Cloud muttered sarcastically, so quietly even Leon almost didn't hear him. Reno whistled.

Leon didn't bother sugar-coating his explanation. Heartless would—and could—easily overpower a student. "They get around with sudden movements. Watch out." He wasn't encouraged any when the teenagers looked even sicker. Oooh, look—one was turning green. But he couldn't back down now!

"If you are defeated by a Heartless," he drawled, "you lose your heart. Not the organ. It's more like your soul. Sort of."

A Hufflepuff boy asked, "So they're like Dementors?"

Leon just stared at him.

"…Okay—get a sword."

The whole class scrambled to get one. Leon puffed a lock of hair out of his face and turned to Cloud, who was smiling at him from beneath the collar of his shirt. Leon almost stuck out his tongue.

When the kids returned, Leon paused and regarded them for a long moment. Then he waved his wand and five black boxes appeared on the grass before them. One gave a shudder and one girl almost screamed.

Cloud crouched in front of one and placed his hand on the top. The class collectively sucked in a breath. He flipped a tiny latch, Leon waved his wand at it, and Cloud pushed away the lid and reached inside.

In his hands when he stood back up was what the students presumed was a Heartless. It was little, with a tiny silver helmet, purpleish armor and scary-looking hands. Beady eyes were spazzing out; the thing thrashed in Cloud's grip. There was a little swirly image on the helmet. Sora yawned.

"This is a Soldier," Leon instructed. Cloud waved it for a bit so the kids in the back could get a good look. Cloud put it on the ground and let go. It moved around, twitching and jerking.

"With _your_ swords, you can't _kill_ a Heartless."(**1**) To get rid of one you have to release is heart, and only a weapon called a Keyblade can do that."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shot Kairi, Riku and Sora quick, surprised looks. Sora winked at them and giggled.

"If you hurt a Heartless enough, it will go away. But it _will_ come back, eventually." Leon frowned at them silently for a moment, letting the information sink in.

Cloud spoke, "What does a Heartless do? Ernie."

"Uhm…steal the Hearts of others, Professor," Ernie said respectfully.

"Right. Who do they go after the most? Ron."

Ron blinked. "The…uh, um…the…"

"Keyblade bearers," Sora supplied helpfully.

"Keyblade bearers!" Ron exclaimed almost instantly. Cloud scowled at Sora and nodded at the redhead.

"Yeah. There they are." He pointed, and everyone's head swiveled around to look. Riku smirked, Sora grinned, and Kairi shuffled her feet, smiling.

"So if your Heartless starts running towards any three of them, you know why," Leon said, smiling himself.

"Split up into groups of six," Cloud ordered. "Sora, Riku, Kairi—come here."

The class followed his directions almost immediately, chattering among themselves excitedly. Yuffie pouted and shot Leon a nasty look, but then complied and joined Harry, Dean, Neville, Ron and Hermione.

The 'Keyblade Kids' each took a box and carried it over to each of the groups, getting pats on the back and high-fives as they set them down.

Once everyone was quiet and still, the Professors strode to the group that was more or less in the center, so everyone could see. As Leon bent and undid the magical locks on the box, Leon addressed the six kids in front of him.

"Line up," he commanded.

The students _sort of _did so, but they all kept backing up and going around each other so they wouldn't have to be first. Eventually Leon grew cross and pointed. "Gabriel," he growled jabbing his finger in said boy's direction, "You're first."

Gabe sent the others behind him a look and strode forward confidently. The Soldier's head swerved around and it looked straight at the Hufflepuff, and he froze. A few seconds went by, and someone shouted that he was a chicken.

The boy's eyes ignited, fire burning in their brown depths. He sprang forward and raised his sword. The Soldier received a weak whack on its shoulder and stumbled a bit. Then yellow eyes stared straight into Gabriel's soul, and the boy retreated with a tiny yelp.

Cloud waited until the laughing died down and said, "Good." He made his voice louder and called, "Do what he did. Don't spend more than thirty seconds with your Heartless or you'll increase your risk of getting injured."

With the Keyblade bearers walking around, ready to eradicate any Heartless who looked too close to getting anyone's Heart, Leon and Cloud released each and every one of the five Soldiers from their confines and let the students have at them.

Most did what Gabe did, but there were some who risked it and tried to actually _duel _the things.

Hannah Abbott was the first one to give Leon a few grey hairs—she froze when her Soldier waved its arm at her and got a nice cut on her arm.

"My _Heart!_" she screeched, dancing away from it and clutching her forearm, "It got my Heart!"

Cloud quickly healed her and gave her a few awkward pats on the back as she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He didn't miss the evil, envious looks she got for that.

Cid walked around, watching everything with great amusement. When one boy tripped, Cid managed to catch the Soldier before it could pounce onto his back. He waved away the student's thanks and praise and shot Reno, whose back was turned as he chatted with Yuffie, a positively evil look.

He brought his arm back and let the Heartless fly. It cut through the air and hit Reno right in the back. The redhead and the Soldier fell in a mess of flailing limbs, and Cid just about _died_, he was laughing so hard.

"…_FUCK_ YOU, HIGHWIND!" Reno screamed as soon as the Soldier was hurled back onto the ground by the students.

Reno charged. He hit Cid right in the chest, and they went down in a laughing, snarling flurry of limbs.

Cloud, Vincent and Leon stared at the spectacle for a moment and went back to the students. One girl in particular _needed_ that surveillance, Vincent thought as he watched the small, timid Hufflepuff stumble forward, sword in her hand. She stood ramrod straight, mostly on her heels.

He smiled underneath the collar of his cape and stepped forward.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

Her eyes bulged out of her skull and she nodded fearfully.

Vincent smiled, trying to ease her fears a bit. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, frowning when she stiffened. He could feel a good number of other students watching.

Slowly, he let his hands drift downwards until they were covering hers. "Your weight is too far back," he said softly. "Spread your legs…yes, bend them a bit…good. Now your center of gravity is more balanced." He raised his arms and gently went through a slow, slicing motion. He stepped back, letting her go. "Try that."

She turned her head to look at him. Her face was redder than a tomato, blotchy purple in places. Vincent blinked curiously. A girl sighed dreamily, "…_Lucky!_"

"…T-Thank you," she stammered. Vincent gestured to a tiny cut on her shoulder, and she looked at it. Without really thinking about it, he healed her, finding himself drawn to such a tiny kid. He had never really thought about children before, but being surrounded by so many had him thinking.

"Every single one that can be saved is another that can be sent back in again," he said, referring to the fixed stance and the Cure. (**2**) He gestured to the Soldier, and she turned around. With her new stance she moved forward and hit the Heartless twice before blocking an attack and skittering back.

"Professor!" she said with obvious adoration, referring to Vincent as such even though he wasn't, "Did you see that?"

Vincent didn't answer.

A tangible wave of heat pulsed outward from his body, and almost everyone turned to look at him.

Without warning, Vincent, who had been staring up at the sky, leapt up, over and through the barrier.

Five shots were expertly fired from his gun across the treetops in the forest. He somersaulted twice and landed on his feet in the grass. The poor Hufflepuff fainted.

Then Vincent took off, sprinting past everyone and right through the charmed walls.

Everyone watched until the red of Vincent's cape disappeared, swallowed up by the darkness of the forest.

Silence rang through the clearing while everyone stared at each other with wide eyes.

"…Vin?" Cid asked from beneath Reno, who had paused his slaps to watch.

There wasn't an answer.

- - - - - - - - -

Finally, Cid had him to himself.

Vincent had strolled into the sixth-year class after the one where he had ditched suddenly like he was walking through his room at Merlin's in his boxers, and Cid was _not_ happy.

"What the hell happened?"

Cid had been standing before the other man calmly, maybe even _civilly_, but in his annoyance he leaned into Vincent, bracing himself up with both hands on the desk in the deserted classroom, forcing his lover to lean back.

There was a pregnant pause, and Vincent's eyes flicked over to and held Cid's eyes as he said, "Someone here is in contact with Sephiroth."

Cid stared at him blankly for a moment and then recoiled. "…How do ya know?" he asked, letting up. Vincent smoothly lifted himself onto the desk.

"I fired at a black and brown owl," Vincent said, pinning Cid with his crimson eyes. "There were traces of Darkness on the animal, and that is why I left you and the students. I succeeded in removing the letter from the owl's leg, and I managed to retrieve it as it fell."

"How'd ya know it was Sephiroth?" Cid interrupted. Vincent shot him a look and continued.

"The owl," after being separated from its letter, flew away back through the forest and not towards the Owley, which is where a student's owl would have gone. Also—the scent of Sephiroth's particular Darkness is very familiar. I could tell."

Cid's curiosity got the better of him. "…What's it smell like, huh?"

"Cloud," Vincent said simply.

Cid nodded, then made for the door. "We should tell Blondie—"

"No," Vincent said firmly. He walked forward until he was right in front of Cid. "This school…is doing Cloud good. If he becomes aware of this, he will want to leave." His eyes were narrowed, and he watched Cid closely.

A grin spread across Cid's face. "…You care, don't you?" he asked, reaching around Vincent and grabbing two great handfuls of him. He pulled the dark-haired man closer and chuckled into his ear like a child.

"Hmph," Vincent grunted, not trying to prevent Cid's molestation.

"Think it's serious?"

Vincent's lashes lowered as Cid nipped at his earlobe. His fingers curled into the fabric of Cid's shirt and he sighed, answering, "Possibly."

Cid considered it. "Well…it's not serious yet," he said, walking Vincent back to the desk and leaning over him again, "so we don't gotta worry about it just yet."

Vincent's noise of agreement was swallowed by Cid's hungry mouth and hot lips, and he allowed himself to relax and forget about Sephiroth, Cloud, his inner demons and _everything_ for a few heavy, blissful moments.

- - - - - - - - - -

Riku wasn't stupid.

He knew that following Reno around was a bad idea. He knew that he was aware he was being followed. He knew they wouldn't figure out anything if they continued the way they were.

But he just couldn't bring himself to care.

He watched Sora's bottom wiggle in the air as he peered around the corner on his hands and knees, and he realized he didn't really care about whether they found out about Axel or not—well, maybe just not as much as Sora and the others did—because this following Reno was just too much fun.

Riku reached out and yanked Sora backwards, kissing a red, indignant cheek. Sora pouted, and Riku let him continue.

It was fun like this, and he couldn't bring himself to make it stop just yet.

- - - - - - - - - -

Cloud frowned as he read yet another letter from Aerith.

_Dear everyone,_

_Cloud—Sephiroth's been spotted! He walked by Merlin's a few times last week. I suppose you don't have to worry anymore. He messed up some of Jack's decorations, but other than that he was relatively calm. He reportedly scared some shoppers, but that's just what I heard. Good news, huh?_

_I hope all of you are doing wonderfully—you have to tell me all about the school and that Umbridge woman when you return, Vincent! I know you can really tell a story when you feel like it._

_Much love,_

_Aerith._

Cloud set the letter down beside his plate of eggs and his beloved bacon and frowned. Sephiroth in back in Garden…

Really, what was he up to?

As Cloud read that letter, safe in Hogwarts, Sephiroth frowned too, staring out at the giant ravine below him.

Why hadn't it occurred to him before? The reasons behind this mess… it made a lot of sense, now that he thought about it.

"Hades," Sephiroth spat, lips curling in disgust at the name. He turned, stepping into Darkness again.

It was time for some information.

- - - - - - - - - -

They knew something was wrong when Hagrid's voice traveled across the grass. Leon and Cloud were going back over the battleground of the day, picking up clothing left behind by forgetful students and a stray sword or two.

They could hear the other Professor clearly, "And yeh know what he said ter me NEXT? He said 'Grawp FUCK Hagger!' S'_right_! I couldn't believe it either! 'Fuck,' I tell yeh! I don't even _know_ where little Grawpy learned such horrible language… It wasn't you lot, was it?"

Frantic excuses flew from three voices, one high-pitched one definitely Hermione's.

The Professors' heads popped up, and like Meercats, they squinted across the lawn to Hagrid's hut. The lights were on, and the unmistakable sound of bawling filtered through the windows.

Cloud winced terribly and looked at Leon, eyes wide.

There was silence, and then both men erupted in uncontrollable laughter, dropping everything and sinking to the ground.

If only Vincent, Cid and Reno were here…!

- - - - - - - - - -

Reno's patience was wearing thin. Dangerously thin.

If these kids wanted to stalk him, couldn't they have used more tact? Hiding behind a pillar that was so thin he could see the shoots of brown hair behind it was _not cool_, yo!

Ah! One of the was approaching in that Invisibility Cloak. Smart idea, but he could hear their footsteps.

Just when Reno turned around, about to give them an earful, Sora jumped out behind the pillar and pointed at him.

"You!" he bellowed. Reno could see the others appear out of the corner of his eye.

"…Me," Reno said, gesturing at himself. "What's up, short stuff?"

Sora glared at him for a moment, probably because of the 'short stuff' nickname. But then he grinned wildly and yelled, "Did you know a man named Axel?"

Reno squinted one eye, throwing his hands into his pockets. "…Excuse me? Who, yo?"

Sora's white little teeth were grinding together. "_Axel_," he said dangerously.

Reno watched the way the other three looked him closely. Yuffie's eyes were bugging out of her head. He sputtered with laughter, "You stalked me for over a week to know _that_, yo!?"

Sora crossed his arms, and the others gathered around the boy. "Yes," he said. His voice sounded confused, as if he was wondering exactly what Reno was—why hadn't they just _asked_?

The man's smile was devilish as he observed them. "…I think I have…" he began, sounding ridiculously fake, "…a cousin named Axel, yo."

Silence. Sora's expression was undeniably _confounded._

Reno winked at them, smiling a smile chock full of secrets. "Well…if that's all…I got stuff to do, yo…"

He left, and the four Gryffindors watched him leave. Something deep inside Sora told him to not give up, and his eyes burned with determination and frustration.

Sora kicked the pillar as he hissed, "This isn't over!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Greedy fingers tugged at Cloud's zipper, haphazardly wrenching it down and running across the smooth, exposed skin that was hiding underneath the sweater.

They had _time_. No more Reno busting in on them every hour of the goddamned day. No more thumps against the wall from Vincent and Cid's room. Just…silence. Peace.

"…So glad they're gone," Leon murmured against Cloud's neck, pressing his full weight against Cloud's.

Cloud exhaled loudly and breathily answered, "Yeah… breakfast'll be better now…"

_The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors watched with deadpan expressions as Cid, who was standing tall by the Ravenclaw table, for Shiva-knew-what-reason bellowed at Reno and a few Ravenclaw seventh-years, "SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, AND DRINK YER GODDAMNED TEA!" _

_They never quite found out what they had been talking about._

Cloud's fingers tangled in Leon's silky brown locks and pulled, bringing Leon up for a few hot, sticky kisses. Leon wasted no time, slipping his tongue inside Cloud's mouth and wiggling a hand underneath the blond's head to keep him steady.

"…class too," Leon purred into Cloud's ear when they drew apart.

_Reno stared down at the group of first-years, who cowered together by the doorway, looking ridiculously tiny and small. He gaped at them and turned around, saying to Cloud, "Damn, yo! These kids are fuckin' __**little**__! Why the hell are they allowed here!?" He bent down, looking into a little girl's eyes. "Hello!" he shouted, beaming at her. "How old are __**you**_**? **_Five!?"_

_The girl fainted, and her little boyfriend glared daggers at Reno, eyes demanding to know why he was allowed in the school at all._

Every last bit of Cloud's weight trembled against Leon's chest as he straddled the brunet's hips, every part of him completely involved with his boyfriend.

"…Snape…too," Leon panted, flipping them over.

_Vincent stared blankly at the Potions Professor. Leon and Cloud watched nervously, waiting for Vincent to say anything. You didn't just __**ignore **__Snape like that…_

_But Vincent just let his blood red eyes gaze at Snape for far too long and turned on his heel, letting his cape flap menacingly. Cid let out a whoosh of air, and Reno whistled as Snape grew furiously red, watching the man's back with narrowed eyes._

And as Leon sat up, drawing his shirt up and over his head, smiling tenderly at Cloud, they could only think one thing:

Good riddance.

* * *

**1: In KH, everyone's like 'Only the Keyblade can destroy the Heartless! Woooo!' but all these random people can kick the crap outta a Heartless, and the little hearts go up in the air when they fight too! Sooo...I made it so Heartless vanish when you kill 'em and you're not a Keyblade bearer. -.- Compromise, ne?**

**2: Quote borrowed from Mitts :D**

* * *

**Next chapter: The gang suffers through Career Advice, Sephiroth finds Hades, The D.A. gets found out, and fireworks are everywhere.**


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